The Most Important Decisions in Life are Never Easy
by rock-glamour-animeroxx211
Summary: Akane was reunited with her childhood friend Natsu as soon as she joined Fairy Tail. They developed feelings for each other and got into a relationship. But a secret she kept could ruin everything. Some of her friends also get dragged along with her in an emotional roller coaster and a lot of hearts broke along the way. In the end, will they still have their happy ending? OCxNatsu
1. Chapter 1 New Guild Member

Chapter 1 New guild Member

"Another day a new adventure!" Natsu exclaimed grinning.

"Oh, come on Natsu! We've just finished a request yesterday and now you wanna do another one?" asked Lucy weakly.

"I have to agree with Lucy. All of us are pretty tired, so I think we need a day off," added Erza.

"Please Erza I'm begging you!" said Natsu as he kneeled in front of Erza and put his hands together.

"I said we need a day off! That's pretty easy for other people to understand but for an idiot like you, it's impossible," said Erza while sipping some of her coffee.

"How about a battle instead?" challenged Natsu all fired up. As a reply, Erza punched Natsu in the stomach.

"What was that for?" asked Natsu while clutching his stomach in pain.

"You said you wanted a battle but you can't even answer back," pointed out Erza. Natsu's fist was about to hit Erza's face when Erza shot Natsu an 'I don't want you messing around' kind of look. When Natsu caught sight of that look, he quickly stopped his fist. He stood still and then saluted Erza. He slowly walked away from her quietly and approached the table were Lucy and the others were sitting.

'That was so dumb of you Natsu!" Gray said laughing.

"What'd you just call me, ice brain?" asked Natsu in a loud voice.

"What'd you just call me, dumbo?" answered back Gray. But before Natsu could reply to Gray's insult, Erza both punched them on the faces which sended them both flying to different corners of the room.

"I'm expecting better behaviour from the both of you next time . . . if there will be next time for the both of you," said Erza in a really scary voice. With that, Gray and Natsu didn't move an inch and didn't say a single word. They both kept seated as long as Erza's eyes were still glued to them. Then Natsu thought of a clever idea, well, not really. He stealthily took one of the job requests from the request board and then ran for his life. Happy followed Natsu shortly.

"Aren't you gonna stop them, Erza?" asked Lucy who has been watching the whole scene.

"We have our own business and they have theirs. Let's not bug them with theirs. After all, they go at their own risk," replied Erza.

Shortly after Natsu left, a girl with long, dark-red hair entered the guild, carrying a big bag, wearing a purple tank top, super glam shades and a sunhat that covered most of her face. She quietly made her way to the guild master's office. Sooner or later, she came out then Mirajane made a little announcement.

"Fellow guild members, prepare to meet a new guild member! Her name is Akane Furiyama. She's from one of the nearby towns. Please allow her to introduce herself personally and please be friendly and nice to her," said Mirajane in an angelic voice. At first, Akane kept quiet. Then she took off her sunhat. She spotted a nail sticking out of the wall then quickly tossed her hat over to the nail. Her hat swivelled gracefully and dangled on the nail. She put her shades on her head and smiled.

"Hello! My name is Akane Furiyama. Aged 16. I really wanna be in this guild so I hope you guys like me here!" she said beaming.

"Well, she's a cute one," said Gray. Juvia heard Gray say that so she was really jealous. She was about to release a huge wave of water but forced herself to stop because wanted to have a good first impression from 'the newbie'. Then a whole lot of people started to introduce themselves and ask her some questions.

"Welcome to the guild!" said Cana.

"Hope you like it here!" said Juvia.

"Your hair looks really cool!"

"Thanks a lot guys!" said Akane.

"Hi. I'm Erza Scarlet. Nice to meet you," said Erza.

"Nice to meet you too," replied Akane.

"May I ask you a question?" asked Erza.

"Of course," answered Akane.

"What're your magical powers?"

"My magical powers? Well . . . actually I'm a sensory wizard. I can sense living creatures around me without looking. I can predict your every move and when and where you're gonna hit me. I can also suck up people's powers and use them as my own," explained Akane. Erza nodded.

"Based on what I heard, you're pretty tough. Who knows? We might be able to have a battle in the near future," said Erza.

"I'll be looking forward to that," said Akane and grinned. Then a blonde girl approached her and then offered her hand.

"Hello. I'm Lucy Heartphilia," said Lucy. Then Akane shook her hand.

"I just wanna ask if you have a place to stay for the night," added Lucy.

"Well, actually . . . no. I'm just gonna find a place that I can rent for the night," replied Akane.

"I happen to have my own place . . . soooo do you wanna stay there?" Lucy offered.

"I thought you don't like it when someone's intruding your house," a voice said coming from behind. Lucy turned her head and realized that the voice came from Gray. Lucy quickly shot him a look.

"Trying to be cool to the newbie here," Lucy whispered and then turned her head back to Akane.

"So, what do you say?" asked Lucy.

"I really appreciate your kind offer but I don't want to be a burden to you," said Akane.

"Oh no, your not," Lucy said quickly.

"It's okay, Lucy. Thanks for the kind offer and . . . nice meeting you," said Akane. Lucy smiled a big warm smile at her and Akane smiled back.

Akane noticed it was getting late. She decided to head out. She bade everybody a farewell and then started the search for a place she can rent for the night. She searched everywhere and but all the rooms were full. After hours of more searching, her hard work finally bore fruit. A man offered her a room in his apartment. Apparently, the room that he offered to Akane was simply too small and it wasn't really decent because all of the better ones were already rented by other people but she kindly accepted the offer. She settled in that night and found it quite comfortable.

**The Next Day . . . **

"Morning guys!" shouted Akane.

"Morning!" everybody greeted back. Akane made her way to the table where Erza, Lucy, Gray, Cana and the others were sitting. Minutes after she entered the guild, Akane saw a flying blue cat dragging a pink-haired boy that looked really familiar to her.

"Natsu, would you please stand up?" asked the flying blue cat. Akane was so surprised at what she just heard.

"Whoa! That cat can talk?" Akane asked. Everyone nodded at her.

"Just drag me to the place where Erza and the others are," said the pink-haired boy. The blue cat was panting all the way to the table they were all sitting on.

"So, how did your mission go?" asked Erza.

"Like you even care," said Natsu.

"I just wanna find out why you look so beat," said Erza.

"One word: BAD," said Natsu. Then Gray laughed. Natsu was about to punch him in the face when he saw a new face in the guild. He stopped himself and decided to introduce himself.

"Hi-ya! My name's Natsu Dragneel! What's yours?" asked Natsu wearing a big smile. At first, Akane thought that she didn't know him but right at the moment where she was about to introduce herself, she remembered who that pink-haired boy is. Instead of introducing herself, she punched Natsu in the face. Everbody was very shocked at her actions. Her punch was so strong that it made Natsu fall flat on his face. Natsu quickly stood up and faced her with a mad look on his face.

"What was that for? I'm sick and tired of everybody punching me all the time!" shouted Natsu angrily.

"You don't remember me, do you?" asked Akane in an eerie voice.

"No, I don't! I don't even know you!" Natsu retorted. Akane was mad so she mouthed her name: _Akane Furiyama._ Natsu followed it with his own mouth.

"Akane Furiyama!" exclaimed Natsu. Natsu thought for a really long time then remembered something.

"Hey you're my childhood friend!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Who I left alone in the woods . . . . ," said Natsu. His voice turned low and sad.

"You know each other?" asked Wacaba.

"You're childhood friends?" asked Elfman.

"Yes and yes," Akane said then turned to Natsu.

"I'm glad you still remember me," Akane said and went back to talking with Gray and the others. Natsu sat beside Akane but she ignored him.

"Can we talk?" asked Natsu.

"Not if you can't catch me first!" Akane exclaimed and ran outside of the guild._ She hasn't changed a bit,_ Natsu thought then started running after Akane. They chased each other all over town but Akane reached a dead end so Natsu caught her.

"Gotcha'!" Natsu said and wrapped his arms around Akane.

"Okay, you caught me," she said.

"You know what . . . I really missed you," Natsu said.

"Me too," said Akane. Then, Natsu took Akane's hand and dragged her along.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see"

Natsu dragged her all the way to a tall rooftop. And right at the picture-perfect moment, the sun set. The sky was filled with bursts of orange, yellow and red. Akane's eyes were sparkling in amazement. Natsu looked at her intently and smiled. They enjoyed the whole view that afternoon. When it was nightfall, the atmosphere was getting really cold.

"Natsu, it's really cold," Akane said shivering.

"Don't worry," Natsu whispered and wrapped his arms around Akane to keep her warm.

"Thanks, Natsu," Akane whispered back. Akane enjoyed Natsu's warmth. _Tomorrow's a new beginning for me . . . . _, Akane thought.


	2. Chapter 2 Akane's Mission

Chapter 2 Akane's Mission

Konnichiwa to all readers! Gomen, I forgot to put a disclaimer in this story. So, I'm just gonna put it now. Arigatou Gonzimasu for understanding.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL! I only own Furiyama Akane and Hayashi Sora.

_It's been quite a long time since I've been in Fairy Tail. . . . Whoa! Two years! I can't believe it! Well, better go now! The others might be looking for me, _Akane thought. She changed and washed up. Then, she went to the guild.

"Good morning, guys!" Akane greeted everyone.

"Hi, Kane-chan!" Levy greeted back. After saying a big warm good morning to everyone, she immediately looked at the request board. She snatched a request and read it. _Seems kinda' easy . . . . , _Akane thought. Her thoughts were interrupted by somebody who shouted her name in her right ear.

"Hey, Akane!" said the voice. Akane was startled. She looked up and saw Natsu smiling at her.

"Oh, it's you, Natsu. You scared me," said Akane and went back to reading the request..

"What're you reading?" asked Natsu.

"This request," Akane replied. "It says here that I have to retrieve a sacred jewel necklace used in battle. It's owned by one of the princesses in the kingdom. She lost it when an enemy stole it when there was a war in their kingdom. Now, she needs it back so their kingdom can defeat the baddies. They really need help so I decided to do this request. Besides, it pays 70, 000 jewels. Quite a fortune for retrieving a necklace," said Akane.

"Well, duhh. It's owned by a princess. Of course she would pay you handsomely," said a voice coming from behind. Akane and Natsu turned around to see who it was.

"Oh hey, ice brain. Why'd you suddenly decide to butt in our conversation?" asked Natsu.

"I wasn't butting in your conversation and stop calling me names, Dumbo!" shouted Gray.

"You better-," Natsu didn't get to finish his comeback because Akane put her finger on Natsu's lip doing a sign that says "keep your mouth shut for the day". Natsu did what Akane wanted obediently.

"I'm so sorry, Gray. You do understand that Natsu is of course Natsu. Anyway, what did you say a while ago about the request I was going to take?" asked Akane.

"It was nothing. Anyway, can I go with you?" asked Gray.

"And why would you like to go with me?" Akane asked back.

"You know, just to make sure you're safe," answered Gray.

"Sorry, Gray. I'm sure I can take care of myself. Besides, I'm taking a level one request. This is chicken to what we S-class mages do," said Akane reassuringly.

"And now you're rubbing you being an S-class mage in our faces," Natsu suddenly said.

"I'm not!" Akane shouted at Natsu. "Anyways, Gray, I'd better go now! I'll stay safe. Thanks for caring!"

Akane flashed a wide grin at Gray. When she did, Gray's heart suddenly started to beat fast. Gray flashed a quick smile at Akane and turned his back away from her.

_What am I suddenly feeling? I've never encountered such a feeling before . . . and it all happened when Akane smiled at me, _Gray thought. He was so buried deep in his thoughts that he didn't notice that Natsu left.

"Hey, Akane! Wait up!"

"Huh?"

Akane wondered who that voice came from. She turned her head and saw Natsu running towards her.

"Hey, Natsu! Why did you follow me?" Akane called. She was already quite far. Natsu ran a few more steps to reach Akane.

"I was just gonna tell you something," Natsu replied panting heavily.

"What?!" Akane asked.

"I think Gray . . . likes you," said Natsu.

"I have no time for this, Natsu. I really have to go," Akane said quickly. She was trying to save as much time as possible in their conversation.

"No, I really think he does. Did you see how he looked like when you smiled at him? And why would he be caring for your safety?" Natsu asked.

"Natsu, it's normal for Gray to care about my safety the way I care about your safety and everybody else's at Fairy Tail. We're a family Natsu. We _should_ care for each other," said Akane. "Gotta go now."

Akane waved Natsu goodbye. Natsu kept on waving until she was no longer in sight.

Akane started her journey to Sanaki's Island by boat. "I wonder why it's called that," said Akane. Her trip was very windy and cool. She felt like jumping into the ocean while she stared at it. Then, Natsu's words suddenly went back to her. _What was Natsu talking about? Gray doesn't like me. I'm sure he doesn't, does he? But what did he mention about Gray after I smiled at him? Yeah, why did Gray ask for my safety?_, asked Akane in her head. She kept thinking about it until her eyelids were starting to feel heavy. Nighttime had already fallen.Akane was about to doze off when she saw lights coming from up ahead. Her instincts told her that that is the island she has to got to.

She lifted her head up and yawned. The waves were a bit strong that time which made their arrival to shore a bit longer. Akane was really sleepy at that time and she couldn't keep her senses sharp and alert. At last, they docked. Akane paid the ferryman generously then she climbed out of the boat. Akane walked towards the lights but felt something strange. She felt as if there something eerie that's going to happen. The lights were clearer and clearer as the distance between her and the lights were getting smaller and smaller. She realized that those lights were actually a village. She went closer to it until she reached a place with lots of cute little houses made of wood. Akane wondered: _There are so many houses here but why aren't there any people?_ Akane peeked into every single house but found that the village was deserted. Using her sensory powers, she sensed something lurking in one of the houses. She tracked its location and found an isolated area, away from all those houses. She approached the house stealthily; careful not to step on twigs or anything that would give away sound that could blow up her cover. She peeked into the house and saw a woman with a kind face cooking. Realizing that there's nothing quite dangerous about the woman, she knocked on the door softly.

"Konbanwa!" She called out. "Is anybody home?"

The woman stopped from her chores and was a bit surprised upon hearing somebody knocking on her door. At first, she hesitated in opening it but when she saw a girl standing outside, she immediately opened it. Akane saw the door open and saw the woman's head popping out of the door.

"Konbanwa. Gomenasai to disturb you but may I come in?" asked Akane.

"Hai. Please come in," answered the woman. The woman offered Akane a seat.

"Do you want something to eat?" asked the woman.

"Oh, no. I really appreciate your kindness but I am here for something else," replied Akane.

"And what is that if I may ask?"

Akane tried to act kindly and nicely. "I'd like to ask why this village is abandoned and why you're the only one here."

The woman hesitated to answer Akane's question then bit her lip. Akane felt that the woman was hiding something really secret from her after a few minutes of silence from the woman.

"Uhmm . . . excuse me, Ma'am but would you please consider answering my question? I really need the information I'm seeking to save your village and help another human being," Akane said in a kind and gentle tone. She still managed to be nice to the woman despite of her impatience.

"Okay, okay," the woman finally said. "The villagers all ran away in fear of a monster and its human apprentice lurking in the shadows of this very island. They would usually threaten our lives and would spread fear in the hearts of many. We tried and tried to defend ourselves but they were just too strong. Even our bravest and strongest men couldn't stop them. And so we feared them even more. We later found out that they thrive on human fear. The more fear they implant in our hearts the stronger they get. So all the villagers decided to flee the village but I did not flee for I do not know where to go after I've fled. And so I decided to stay here despite the dangers that still remain here," explained the woman. Then, they heard a crackling sound. Then, they smelled something weird. Something that smelled like burnt food. The woman quickly stood up and went to her kitchen to see if her food really got burned.

"Oh dear, oh dear!" said the woman disappointed at what has come of her food.

Akane went to see if the woman was doing well. She approached the woman and saw her taking some parts that could still be eaten off her burnt food.

"I'm so sorry about your food," said Akane.

"Oh, it's nothing. This could still fit me," said the woman. Akane looked at the woman's wall clock and saw that midnight was fast approaching. Akane decided to say goodbye to the woman.

"I have to get going. I still have some unfinished business I need to take care of. Thank you for the information you gave me. You let me know what I needed to know and more. Rest assure that it will be put to good use and your village will be free. I have to go now. Thank you once again," said Akane. Akane took a few steps towards her door then stopped and turned around. "Wait, where could I find this monster?"

"In the ruins of the ancient temple in the forest. That's where the children last saw them at least," replied the woman.

"Wait, I've never got your name," said Akane.

"Sora, Hayashi Sora is my name. By the way, the monster's name is Sanaki but I do not know what its apprentice's name is," said the woman. Akane nodded. Sora bade her farewell. When Akane had gone quite a distance, an amazing transformation took place in the house where she last was. Bright, shimmering light surrounded the woman. Hues of crimson red and sky blue were swirling around her. Sparkles enveloped her whole body, changing all of her features.

The transformation was complete. All the lights went out to reveal a young girl with white complexion, long blonde hair with tips that reached the floor, and a devious smile. She smirked with pleasure at what she just did. "Master will surely be pleased."


	3. Chapter 3 Meeting a New Friend

Chapter 3 Meeting a New Friend The Strange Way

I'm so sorry it took quite a long time for me to add some new chapters for you guys! It's just that there's so many stuff to do at school and our exams came up so I had to study really hard. I had to spend less time on making my story and focus more on school. It's so stressful! But I'm back with more fresh ideas that you will surely love! I hope you guys could relate to me somehow and I also hope that you would understand. Peace Out!

-rock-glamour-animeroxx211

Akane was staring at the ruins of the ancient temple that the old lady was talking about. It was bigger and wider than what Akane expected it to be. Akane touched the walls of the ancient temple with both of her hands and tried to draw information from it. She closed her eyes and concentrated.

**AKANE'S P.O.V.**

_The ancient temple was three stories high . . . and it's about 3,500 years old. It's not a surprise that it's really old 'cause of the vines that have grown all around the temple. Now, let's look at the temple's format . . . there's a watchtower at the right, a sacred pool at the back, and a meeting place at the third floor . . . that must be where the monster, Sanaki, and its apprentice must be hiding! The stairs to the third floor aren't destroyed yet . . . and the whole third floor is still stable. I could use that to go up there. Half of the second floor is already destroyed and the other half is very weak . . . I'll have to be very careful when I walk around there . . . It's really amazing how the whole third floor hasn't collapsed yet but there's a big possibility that it will due to my weight . . . CAREFUL . . . REMEMBER THAT WORD AKANE!_

**END OF P.O.V.**

Akane took her hands off the walls. She got everything she needed. She was ready . . . and determined. She was ready to face any kind of danger that might befall her. She put on her fiercest face and ran inside the temple. By the minute she stepped inside the temple, she stopped running for fear that the whole structure would collapse. The first floor was really wide. It had some windows where the moonlight would seep through. The swaying trees would make some eerie shadows inside the temple and it made the silence creepier. Akane bent down and touched the ground. She tracked down the location of the stair that would lead her up to the second floor. "Got it."

Akane stood up and moved forward. She kept on moving forward until she reached a dead end.

"What the-? Why is it a dead end? I'm positive that the stair is here," Akane said. She bent down and tracked its location again. This time she was really sure that the stair was right in front of her. "It must be behind this wall."

Akane mustered up all her strength and pushed the wall hard. But instead of the wall to budge, Akane's hand went right through the wall. She fell and her head hit something hard. "Ow, that hurt!"

Akane rubbed her forehead. She looked at her hand and saw blood. "I'm bleeding!" she exclaimed. She calmed herself down. She put her other hand on her forehead then it glowed. Akane tried to heal her wound. She can't really just whisk it away though. She just momentarily closed up the wound so the pain and the bleeding would stop. She knew that the blood and pain would come back any minute and she can't heal herself twice so she hastened. Akane stood up and realized that it was all just an illusion. The wall wasn't really there at all. She approached it and put her hand on the wall then it went through. "Someone's making some illusions to make my journey around the ruins harder . . . better watch out."

Akane looked around but she can't see anything. It was pitch black. She put her hand up then it glowed with blue fire. She swayed it around then spotted the stairs right in front of her. She realized that the stairs were the ones that wounded her. Akane placed her hand on the railings and climbed up. When she was just about to take a step, she felt a sudden surge of pain. She almost fell off the stairs but she didn't because she got hold of the railings in time. Without wasting a minute, Akane pulled herself up and pulled her whole body up the stairs. The stairs creaked every time she would take a step. Akane was annoyed. She always hated creaking stuff. But she didn't let her emotions cloud her actions. She kept on climbing up the long and winding stair and finally arrived at the top.

Akane panted heavily. 'That was a really long stair," she said. She wiped some sweat off her forehead and touched the part where she had been wounded. There wasn't any sign of blood, yet. Akane was about to take a step when she remembered something about the second floor.

"This is the part where I most likely will fall," she said out loud. She put her blue fire a bit higher to see which half is destroyed and which is a bit weak. Her fire cast an eerie light then she saw that the part where she was going to take a step was the weak part while the next part is the half that is destroyed.

She breathed out a sigh of relief. She felt a bit relaxed but she knew that she has no reason to be. She's going to retrieve a jewel necklace but fight two very strong opponents before getting it, cross a very weak wooden floor and have a possibility of falling, and cross another wooden floor but this time, it's destroyed. Her whole body tensed. She felt fear. Her hard exterior of determination and courage was broken by fear and anxiety. She closed her eyes and thought for a moment. She thought about fairy Tail. She thought about what the guys would think when an S-class mage chickens out in doing an easy request. Her actions would lose Fairy Tail's strong fighting spirit and Fairy Tail will lose its honor. How humiliating! Akane whisked those negative feelings away and replaced them with positive feelings, the kind of feelings she had when she felt strong. As a result, Akane felt courageous again, without fear. She was ready to cross the floor without any doubt in her. She was ready. Akane gingerly took a step. She placed her weight on her right leg and was about to take another step when her right leg went right through the wooden floor. Her whole body began to follow until she fell right through it! Akane screamed. She shut her eyes and was getting ready for the impact. She silently waited for it to come but eventually, it didn't. Surprised that it did not come, she opened her right eye and then she opened her left. She realized that nothing had happened to her. She looked down and noticed that her feet weren't touching the ground. She wiggled her toes and knew that they were still there. It was then until then that she realized she was floating in mid-air. "Cool. But . . . how did I do that?"

She cartwheeled in mid-air and noticed something bright blue glowing beneath her. She looked down and found out that her blue flames were the ones that saved her. "I never knew I could fly using my blue flames." Amazed at her new discovery, she used her blue flames to float back to the top. She was almost back up when she suddenly lost her balance. She felt a hot surge of pain. Her flames went out and she was falling again. She tried to fire her flames again but it won't. She tried and tried and finally at the very last minute, it did. She tried to keep her balance while trying to face the unbearable pain. She placed her palm on her forehead then checked it out. She was relieved upon seeing that there were still no blood but the pain was still there. Akane tried to bear it and she forced herself to float back to the top again. This time she was successful. Akane decided not to land on the wooden floor because she might fall again. So, she kept on floating until she reached the stair leading to the third floor. Her blue flames went out then she landed herself on the first step. First, she made sure that it was safe. She bent down and touched the stair. Sensing that it was safe for her to keep on going, she climbed up the stair. Before setting foot on the third floor, she touched it. Her sensory powers had told her that there are two beings on the third floor. She was sure of it. She stealthily went around the third floor and looked for them. She tracked them down and found out that they were hiding in a secret room that could not be reached by her sensory magic. Still bearing the pain, she looked for them. She inspected every single room only to find that no one was there. She paused for a moment and thought. _Were could they be hiding? There's nothing in here, but I'm sure I sensed something back there. Where are they?_

Then, it hit her. Akane remembered what had happened to her when she was looking for the stair to the second floor. "When I was walking around a while ago, my hand went right through the wall, an illusion. Maybe what had happened a while ago, is the same to what's happening right now!" Akane exclaimed. When she did, her head hurt again. She felt that her wound was about to bleed. She hurried a bit more. She desperately searched for them in every room again. Then she sensed something. She sensed two beings move outside of the window. Without any hesitation, she walked towards it then jumped out of the window. But she did not fall. She simply landed on her feet, in another room. She looked around then heard clapping coming from behind her. She turned around and saw the most horrible and awful beast that she has ever seen in her entire life. It had a human head but with fangs, elf ears, a long flicking tongue, and a scaly body of a snake. Beside it was a young girl with long blonde hair and sparkling green eyes. Akane was about to scream because of fear but she did not because she remembered that Sanaki and its apprentice thrive on human fear. She struggled to remain strong and courageous despite the pain she was bearing and fear.

"Who-who are you?" Akane managed to say.

"I am Sanaki, the owner of this island and this is my apprentice, Hayashi Sora," the beast replied. Akane thought that that name sounded familiar.

"Wait, Hayashi Sora is the name of the old woman I asked some info from!" Akane exclaimed.

"Yes, and I am that woman," the girl with blonde hair said.

"You can't be! You don't look anything like her!" Akane said.

"I tricked you, get it?" asked the girl. Akane was about to answer when she felt the hot surge of pain again. She put her palm against her forehead and saw that her wound was bleeding again. "Why does it have to happen now?" The pain felt really unbearable. Seeing that Akane was down, Sanaki clicked her fingers then Sora waved her arms around Akane. Then, Akane fainted. Sora casted an illusion on her. But before she fainted, she still managed to fire a fireball at Sanaki. It affected her a bit but not that much. Before her eyelids closed, Akane caught a glimpse of the jewel necklace around Sanaki's neck. Darkness . . . was all Akane could see.

Akane moaned. Then, she woke up. She saw that Sanaki was lying dead on the ground while Sora was just knocked out. She shifted her gaze from her right to her left and saw Natsu sitting beside her.

"Natsu, you're here!" Akane exclaimed. She hugged him tightly.

"Yeah, I am," he replied.

"Why are you here? And why is Sanaki dead?" Akane asked.

"I killed her. And I'm here because I came for you. I sorta' felt that you were in danger so I came and rescued you," he said.

"Natsu, that's great! And did you just call Sanaki 'her'?

"Yeah, I found out that Sanaki's a girl. Anyways, here's your necklace," he said while waving the necklace right in front of her.

"Thank you, Natsu! And because you helped me in this mission, I shall give you the half of the reward."

Before Natsu could answer, they both heard a moan. Sora was waking up.

"Where am I? What's going on here?" she asked.

"You don't remember anything?" asked Akane.

"No, I don't. I don't even know why I'm here," she replied. Akane and Natsu both looked at each other.

"I think she's under Sanaki's power that's why she kept on following her orders," Natsu said.

"You're getting smarter these days," Akane praised. Natsu grinned at her.

Then Natsu had a great idea. He whispered it to Akane. Akane listened carefully and nodded.

"We think that you should come with us and be a part of our guild, Fairy Tail. What do you say?" Akane asked.

It took a while for Sora to answer but she accepted. So in a way, they found a new member.


	4. Chapter 4 Special Friendship

Chapter 4 Special Friendship

"She's bleeding!"

"Is she okay?!"

"Get a medic here quick!" ordered Natsu.

"Mira, you're the medic! C'mon!" Erza shouted.

"Coming!" shouted back Mirajane. She was running down the staircase carrying a first aid kit. She knelt down and quickly put on some ointment on Akane's wounds. She then wrapped them around with bandages and wiped the blood off with a towel. Akane kept on shouting because of the unbearable pain. Her screams filled the guild.

"Will she be alright?" asked Sora.

"I don't know yet. Her wounds are pretty deep and they won't stop bleeding," replied Mirajane. "What the heck happened on your mission?!"

"We already defeated the enemy and we were preparing to go home with our new-found member when Akane fell to the ground and wounds appeared in an instant," explained Natsu. Natsu put his palm on Akane's forehead. "You'll be alright, Akane."

Akane nodded, breathing hard for air. Suddenly, Gray came and knelt beside Akane then held her hand. "You're gonna be okay. Don't worry. You can do this." Gray tried his best to comfort Akane. Mira kept on healing her wounds. She put some water on one of Akane's deep wounds on her right leg. Akane let out a small cry because it hurts. Then she suddenly started to calm down.

"Do you still feel any pain?" asked Erza.

"Not quite. It's starting to go away thanks to Mira," answered Akane.

"Well, that's good. You have to heal a lot faster so we can have that battle I was looking forward to," said Erza. "Maybe we could do it when you're fully healed, deal?"

Akane did a thumbs-up which meant yes. After a few hours of healing, Akane could start to stand up but she still felt some pain when she shifted her weight on her right leg. Akane sat down for a while.

"Thank you, Mira. If it hadn't been for you I would've died of pain right now," said Akane. Mira smiled.

"No need to say thank you. That's what I do. Help whenever I can," she replied. Akane smiled back at her. Akane tried to stand up again because she wanted to go home and rest but she fell down again. She was looking down on the ground and then hot tears began to stream down her cheeks. She looked up and saw a hand offering for her to stand up. She held it and stood up while trying to keep balance.

"Thank you, Gray," she said.

"No prob," he replied. "Want me to help you walk?"

"No, it's fine. I could do it all by myself," she said. But it was obvious that she couldn't. She took a few steps then started to fall off balance but Gray caught her.

"C'mon I'll take you home so that you could rest," said Gray.

"Okay, fine . . ." answered Akane. Gray swept Akane off her feet and carried her bridal style.

". . . but not this way!" shouted Akane. Akane started to complain but Gray calmed her down. In the end, Akane wrapped her arms around Gray's neck and let him carry her all the way home. Along the way, Akane wanted to ask Gray some questions because it was just so quiet.

"Hey Gray, did you get to meet Sora?"

"Yeah, I did. She was a nice girl. And you know what? When we shook hands, she blushed like crazy," said Gray.

"Looks like someone likes you," Akane teased. Gray laughed.

"But I like a different girl," he said.

"Who?" Akane asked curiously.

"Well, she's beautiful, kind, caring, smart, thoughtful, loving, friendly, and she tries to get along with other people a lot. Not to mention she has these amazing, sparkling brown eyes," Gray said then he quickly looked at Akane's eyes and smiled.

"Well, I know a lot of girls with brown eyes . . . but I don't know who you're talking about," Akane said. "Just tell me."

Gray hesitated for a moment. and sighed.

"I would tell you . . ." Gray said. Akane started to feel giddy. ". . . in one condition," Gray added.

"Aww . . ." said Akane. "Okay, tell me the condition."

"I would only tell you if you tell me who you like," said Gray. Akane hesitated but finally said yes.

"Well, I still couldn't confirm my feelings for him but I do like him a little. You'll know exactly who he is after I say two words," Akane said.

"Go."

Akane breathed in a huge amount of air. While she was doing that, Gray was hoping that Akane would say something that would describe him but it didn't turn out good.

"Pink hair."

Gray instantly knew that it was Natsu. Gray felt down a bit after he knew.

"What do you find in him that's so attractive?" asked Gray.

"Well, he makes me laugh a lot and we're really close. He's also kinda' cute," said Akane. "Now it's your turn."

Gray was currently not in his self. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. _Him . . . cute?!_ Gray said in his head. He quickly snapped out of it when he heard Akane call out his name.

" . . . Gray . . . Gray . . . Gray! You tell me who you like now," Akane ordered.

"I decided not to tell you," he said.

"What? Why?"

"It's because . . . 'cause . . . 'cause . . ." Gray couldn't finish.

"Just say it1" said Akane.

"It's because I'm too shy!" Gray shouted.

"Oh c'mon, you're a tough guy. You could certainly overcome this," Akane said convincing him.

"No matter how much you convince me, I will never ever tell you," said Gray.

"Aww . . . no fair! I told you who I like and you told me that you'll tell me who you like!" said Akane angrily. Gray was thinking of another excuse but then they already arrived at the apartment where Akane was staying at.

"Oh! Looks like we're here," said Gray. Akane pouted her lips because she didn't know who Gray liked. Gray opened the door to Akane's bedroom and put her on her bed. After that, Akane hugged her pillows and lied down.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Gray. I really appreciate it. You could go now if you want to," Akane said.

"Nah . . . I'm gonna stay here for a while. Besides, you need someone to take care of you while you haven't been fully healed yet," replied Gray.

"Okay . . . sure. Thanks again," Akane replied. Gray sat on Akane's bed beside her and turned on her TV and flipped through the channels. He kept on looking and looking until he landed on this channel where Fairy Tail had a commercial on.

"I didn't know we were on TV!" Akane said surprised.

"Me too! Who do you think aired us?" asked Gray.

"I don't know. I haven't seen anyone at the guild that carried a huge camera or anything," replied Akane. They kept on watching the commercial and saw each and every one of their guild members. The commercial said that Fairy Tail is the greatest guild ever and if people were looking for a perfect place to enhance their abilities, Fairy Tail was the perfect place.

"Hey, there's you!" Akane said pointing at the huge TV screen. "And there's me!" Gray looked at Akane smiled noticing her sparkling brown eyes. Akane looked at Gray.

"Is there something wrong?" asked Akane. Gray snapped out of it and shook the feeling off.

"No nothing. I'm fine," said Gray. He turned the TV off and decided to have a little talk with Akane.

"So, how much do you like Natsu?" asked Gray.

"I dunno . . ." answered Akane.

"Ok, rate it from the scale of one to ten," said Gray.

"I can say . . . eight," replied Akane. Gray was taken aback a bit. Eight was a pretty high number.

"Whoa, that's pretty high. Do you know how much I like my crush?" asked Gray.

"How much?" asked Akane.

"Ten," answered Gray.

"Wow! That's really high. You must really like her, don't you?" asked Akane.

"Yeah, I do. But I doubt that I have chances of her liking me 'cause she likes somebody else," said Gray his voice going low and whispery. Akane looked at Gray intently. _He must've been really sad. I'll cheer him up a bit! _said Akane in her head. She took her camera from inside her bag and showed Gray some pictures she took at Fairy Tail.

"Hey Gray, check this out! These are the pics I got at Fairy Tail," said Akane. Gray went a little closer to Akane and took a look. Gray and Akane laughed at some of the pictures because they were really funny. There was one picture where Erza was beating Natsu up. And there was another one were they were eating cake and icing was smeared on their faces. There was one where Gray and Natsu were fighting.

"That certainly was fun," Gray said after they looked at the pictures. Akane smiled at Gray's reaction. Akane glanced at her wall clock and saw that it was getting a little late which meant for Gray to go home.

"Hey Gray, shouldn't you be going home now? It's getting dark you know," said Akane.

"It's fine. I'll spend the night here," said Akane.

"Really?" asked Akane.

"Well, yeah. I'll take care of you for a while. If you need anything, just tell me. I'll give it to you right away," Gray said kindly.

"Thanks a lot for the help, Gray. But I'm kinda' worried 'cause you don't have a place to sleep around here. There's no space," said Akane.

"That's not a problem. I'll sleep on the floor then," offered Gray.

"Oh no, that won't be necessary. You could sleep here with me," Akane said and patted her pillows.

"No, it's fine. I'll sleep on the floor," said Gray.

"It's really okay," Akane insisted.

"Okay, fine. Thank you by the way," said Gray. Akane nodded. Then they had dinner. Gray cooked the food. Gray was a really good cook after all and Akane enjoyed the food. Then, they slept. Akane and Gray lied down on the bed and put on the blanket.

"Night, Akane," said Gray.

"Good night, Gray," answered Akane. Gray and Akane faced at the opposite side away from each other. Akane closed her eyes but then opened her right and so did Gray. Akane wanted to feel cozy so she faced Gray's direction and hugged him. Gray was shocked a bit but he didn't do anything to stop Akane. He held Akane's hand then slept.

**In the morning . . .**

Gray helped Akane walk around her apartment. Akane practiced how to walk on her own but still couldn't do it because her wounds still hurt. So, in the meantime, Gray helped her. Akane appreciated it a lot. Without Gray's help, she couldn't stand up. They walked around her balcony and talked a bit. Akane sat down for a while and put some ointment on her right leg, where her wound is. It hurts a bit but Akane could manage. After all, Gray was there to help her when needed. Gray thought it was really boring just to lounge around Akane's apartment and do nothing. He wanted to do something recreational with her but because of Akane's wounds, they couldn't. But Gray didn't let that stop him. He took his bike and offered his hand out to Akane who was sitting on the floor. Akane accepted it. She sat in front of his bike while Gray drove. After Akane already sat down, he began pedaling. They've gone quite far away from Akane's apartment. Akane wondered where Gray was taking her because she realized that the road they were going on isn't the way to the guild.

"Where are you taking me?" asked Akane.

"Some place secret," replied Gray. They passed through a thick forest then arrived in front of a huge mansion sitting in the middle of a deserted area. Gray stood up and held Akane's hand giving her support then set his bike down.

"What is this place? It seems kinda' creepy to me," said Akane.

"There's no need to be afraid. Besides, I'm here," assured Gray. Gray lead Akane inside the old mansion. Gray toured Akane around the house.

"This place is huge!" exclaimed Akane. Gray explained that that house belonged to one of the most powerful people in Fiore who died in a raid. His family were killed by rebels who took over his fortune and riches. And that house was the exact place where the raid happened. So now that house sits there without anybody ever going there again, afraid that that place was haunted. Nevertheless, Gray always visited the place whenever he needs to clear out his mind or just wants to be alone and now he introduced that secret place to Akane.

"It's amazing how the structure hasn't come down ever since," Akane said and then remembered the ruins of the temple where their last mission was.

"Like I told you, that man was rich so it's obvious that this place has a really strong structure," said Gray.

"I guess you're right," said Akane. "So this is where you got to every now and then."

"Yeah . . ." Gray said then his voice trailed off.

"So . . . why'd you take me here?" asked Akane.

"So you could also have a secret place of your own. A place to be alone. I decided to share it you," said Gray.

Thank you," replied Akane. "For sure I could use this place. I mean, I always cry by myself and sometimes people in the next apartment could hear me," said Akane.

"Whoa! I never knew a tough girl like you would cry all the time," said Gray.

"I guess I try to hide my gentleness all the time," said Akane. Then Gray remembered one last room that he could show to Akane. He pulled her along with him.

"Hey, don't drag me too fast! My leg still hurts," said Akane. Gray nodded. He went more slowly this time. Sooner or later, they arrived in his huge room with different kinds of instruments in it. Everything was covered in dust except for the piano and the guitar.

"What is this place?" asked Akane.

"This is the music room, as I proudly call it," Gray said proudly in a weird voice. Akane laughed.

"This is where I learned how to play the piano and the guitar," said Gray.

"Really? You learned to play it all by yourself?" asked Akane amazed.

"Yup," he replied. "Would you like to try any of these fine instruments?"

"Well . . . I've always liked to try the piano," said Akane.

"Good choice. Now, sit down and I'll teach you how," said Gray. Akane sat down beside him. He opened a music book and made it rest on the piano.

"Now, first, you have to learn the basics. I'll teach you how to play the DO-RE-MI-FA-SO-LA-TI-DO. Those are called SO-FA syllables," Gray explained. He then put his fingers on the piano and played it.

"Now, you try," said Gray. Akane placed her fingers on the piano did exactly as what Gray did.

"Excellent," said Gray. "Now, I'll teach you how to read notes . . ." Gray went on and on. They spent the whole afternoon learning how to play the piano. Once Akane got the hang of it, she could play on her own. Gray let Akane play the piece all by herself and she was very good at it.

"Excellent," said Gray. "You're a fast-learner you know."

"If it hadn't been for my exemplary mentor, I would've never learned how to play it so well," said Akane referring to Gray. Gray smiled.

They noticed that it was getting dark so they decided to go home. They decided to stop by a restaurant first and eat some dinner. They looked for a table then found a perfect one at the far end of the restaurant. Gray pulled the chair so that Akane could sit then they ordered. While they were ordering, two people were watching them from a near distance. It was Natsu and Juvia. They wanted to know what Akane and Gray were doing so they decided to snoop around and follow them. They kept on whispering stuff to each other as if they had a plan. It was obvious that the two were jealous about Akane and Gray being with each other.

"My dear Gray is with that girl! It is so unfair! How could she be with him? I'm supposed to be with him not her!" Juvia said in a French accent.

"Shut up, Juvia! They might hear us," said Natsu then took a glance at Gray and Akane. They seemed so sweet with each other if you watched from a distance.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Natsu. Juvia then whispered something in Natsu's ear. Natsu nodded. Then, the waiter arrived at their table and served the food. While they were eating, Natsu saw that they were enjoying each other's company. Both of them were laughing and smiling all the time. While Natsu was taking a close look at them, the waiter arrived at their table and took their order. Juvia ordered for them. After a few minutes, their food arrived. Natsu became too tired of watching them so he began eating. He was basically stuffing food in his mouth. While Natsu was eating, Juvia saw Akane stand up. She was heading for the rest room. Juvia also stood up and followed her. But before she did, she signalled Natsu that their plan was already in motion.

Akane looked at herself in the mirror and fixed herself. Then Akane caught a glimpse of Juvia in the corner of her eye.

Oh hi, Juvia. I didn't realise that you're here too," said Akane smiling. But Juvia didn't smile. She looked like she meant serious business.

"Okay . . . I uh . . . came with Gray. How about you?" asked Akane. But Juvia didn't answer. She still looked like the way she did before.

"Is there something wrong?" asked Akane.

"Listen up, sister. The only thing wrong here is you with my Gray," said Juvia.

"Wait, first of all, me and Gray came here to spend time with each other. Have some friendly fun and what did you say about him being yours?" asked Akane.

"I don't care what I said 'cause you are toast!" said Juvia and sent a huge splash of water right at Akane.

"Oh, it is on!" said Akane and answered back.

**Meanwhile . . . **

Natsu approached Gray and pounded his fist on the table.

"Hey Natsu, I didn't know you're here too," said Gray.

"Yeah, and I didn't know you're here with Akane either!" said Natsu and sent a fireball aiming for Gray. Good thing Gray dodged it and the fireball went inside a pitcher of water.

"Let's take this in the restroom!" said Gray. Natsu nodded. So, their fight was on too.

**Meanwhile at Akane and Juvia's Battle . . . **

Akane dodged a wave of water coming from Juvia and shot a blue-flamed fireball coming from her mouth right at Juvia. Juvia quickly dissolved the fire in the water. Juvia then shot water at Akane again. At that moment, Akane thought of a clever idea. She electrified her hand and threw a lightning-based attack at the incoming water. The water made the lightning stronger which hit Juvia badly. Juvia fell to the ground. Electric sparks still appeared across her body. Akane also fell down on the ground. Her body felt too weak to battle and yet she forced it which only made her condition worse. After they were both unable to fight, Akane decided to say something bravely.

"You know what? Gray's all yours. I never even wanted him to be mine. The only reason why we're together is as friends. We came here to spend some time together, hang out, and stuff our stomachs with food. I know that the only reason why you came here and attacked me is because you're jealous of me and Gray. But you know what? We don't share something really special. We're just friends and we're really close because we're all a part of a family at Fairy Tail. I hope you'd understand that," said Akane and left.

The same thing happened at Natsu and Gray's battle. They were both worn out and Gray decided to tell Natsu that he and Akane were just friends. Gray also exited the restroom. So, he and Akane met outside. Gray was quite shocked to see Akane soaking wet. While, Akane was quite shocked to see gray have a lot of burns.

"What happened to you, Akane? Why are you soaking wet?" asked Gray.

"And what happened to you, Gray? Why do you have loads of burns? Wait, you know what? I don't even care why you have a lot of burns. I'm leaving. I'm gonna go home," said Akane. She pushed Gray out of the way and stepped outside. She immediately got drenched again because it was raining.

"Hey, Akane! Wait up! You can't walk all by yourself and it's raining! You're soaking wet!" shouted Gray.

"I'm already soaking wet! And I can walk all by myself! I don't need your help!" shouted back Akane. Gray ran after her. Once she got to her, he took off his shirt and put it on Akane.

"What is going on, Akane? Why are you suddenly mad at me?" asked Gray. Akane faced Gray and tried to fight the tears.

"It's because I just realized that other girls are jealous of us and that I can't have you all for myself! Gray, I have to admit that I liked you a bit. But our special friendship made other girls jealous and I've been selfish," said Akane. "Thanks a lot for those memories you gave me. Those are memories that I will cherish forever. Thanks also for helping me walk. Thank you for being there whenever I needed you. Thanks a lot for teaching me how to play the piano. We are still friends, Gray. But don't think that that kind of special friendship we had before would ever come back."

"Akane, what are you talking about?" said Gray confused and hurt.

"I'm happy that you've actually found a girl you truly love. That girl with those amazing sparkling brown eyes. Good-bye, Gray," said Akane and handed his shirt back to him. Gray accepted it. "Oh yeah, there's a girl waiting for you at the restaurant. Don't keep her waiting," added Akane then she left. Gray was sad, confused, and hurt. He didn't get the chance to tell Akane that she is the one with the amazing sparkling brown eyes. He still had some trouble processing what he had just heard. He didn't know what to do exactly at that moment. He was alone now. With his loved one gone. He decided to go back to the restaurant. When he arrived, he saw Juvia sitting on a table waiting for him but Natsu wasn't there any more.

"Gray-sama, I've been waiting for you! Let's talk," said Juvia.

"Oh hey, Juvia," said Gray. He sat down and then Juvia started talking about some stuff but Gray wasn't listening. He was thinking about what had just happened between him and Akane. He lost his chances of ever being with Akane. But Gray wasn't planning to give up that easily.


	5. Chapter 5 S-Class Mages' Battle

Chapter 5 S-Class Mages' Battle

It was late afternoon. Akane was quietly reading a book in her room. It was about a girl who had her heart broken but in a different way that happened to her. She was almost going to cry when she had read the part about the guy, whom the girl really liked, leaving her. She could almost relate to the story but she and Gray's relationship were just as friends. She flipped from a page to another page until she got bored of reading. She put the book down and turned on the stereo. She listened to a couple of songs on the radio. She was just flipping from station to station but every station that she would land on would always be about love. Akane was starting to feel sick from all the love songs she heard in every station.

"And I'm so sick of love songs . . ." she sang. She continued singing then she heard the exact same song being played on the radio. She waited for the right moment to jump in then she sang along. Suddenly, a light bulb popped out of Akane's head. She turned off the stereo, got her pen and diary, and started scribbling down some words and transformed it into a song. She stopped writing and then read what she had written. Looking pleased, Akane sang the song.

"_Every day, every night isn't the same without ya'_

_Every day of my life feels so empty without ya'_

_Every movie, every drama isn't complete without ya' by my side_

_Starin' out of your window and sayin'_

_Together forever_," Akane sang. She was supposed to put a rap after that but she couldn't find the perfect words to express how she feels so she decided to leave the song like that for awhile. She flopped down on her bed and stared at the ceiling trying to make shapes out of the different lines. She kept on staring at it as if there were really something at the ceiling. Then, she saw a face looking down at her with a big smile. She didn't realize who it was. She slowly sat up and yawned. It was Natsu visiting her.

"Hey, Natsu. I didn't know that you would drop by here," said Akane.

"Yeah, I just got kinda' worried 'cause you didn't go to the guild for a couple of days now," said Natsu.

"Well, I'm still recovering physically and emotionally," said Akane then lay down again.

"I know about the physical part but what about the emotional part?" Natsu asked- asking a question with an answer that he already knew.

"Look, Natsu, I don't really wanna talk about it right now," said Akane.

"Ok, fine, we'll talk about something else," said Natsu. Besides, there is no need for Akane to answer the question because he already knew the answer.

Natsu lied down beside Akane and did his best to try and hide his little gift for Akane behind his back. But before he would reveal the gift, he popped out a question.

"So, whatcha' doin' out here for the past couple of days?" he asked.

"Well," Akane said. "Nothing much. I just lounge around my room and do nothing. It's pretty boring if you think of it." Natsu was basically waiting for the right opportunity.

"Well, if it makes you feel better," Natsu said blushing hard. "I brought you something to cheer you up since its sooo boring."

Natsu sat up and so did Akane. Akane's eyes lit up with interest as Natsu pulled his gift from behind his back.

"Oooh," Akane cooed. "A teddy bear!"

Natsu handed the teddy bear to Akane. It was a teddy bear holding a small heart-shaped pillow with the name Natsu on it. She hugged it right after Natsu gave his present.

"It's so cute and fluffy!" Akane exclaimed. "I love it, Natsu!" Akane had a thing for cute and cuddly stuff so a teddy bear would be a perfect gift. Natsu was glad because Akane liked it. She didn't just like it, she _loved_ it. Akane was smiling for a really long time as she held the teddy bear in her arms.

"Thank you, Natsu. This teddy bear is perfect!" Akane exclaimed then hugged Natsu tightly. But Akane had a question for Natsu to ask. "But why did you get this for me?"

"Well, I thought that maybe you needed something to cheer you up while you're here," said Natsu.

"But how did you know that I liked teddy bears or anything cute?" asked Akane.

"Well, I'm cute and you've always seemed to like me," Natsu said joking a little bit. Akane laughed at him. Then, she placed the teddy bear on her top shelf.

"There, so that I would always remember the friendship we share," she said smiling at Natsu. Natsu smiled back at her. Akane then knelt and took something from her bag which was lying on the floor. She pulled out her laptop and placed it on her bed then sat beside Natsu.

"We'll be playing some games today 'cause it's so boring and we've got nothing else to do," she said opening her laptop. She typed in the password then it opened. Akane got her mouse and attached to the laptop then she pressed a game. But instead of pressing a game, she pressed her diary instead which had no lock. It automatically opened, revealing her latest entry which had an 'I love you Natsu' at the top. Natsu began to read it but Akane quickly closed her laptop, obviously embarrassed. She was blushing like crazy while Natsu was just trying to hide his reaction. Akane quickly went to the direction opposite to Natsu then opened her laptop. She quickly installed a password then exited it and went back to pressing a game. After the game already loaded, she went back and sat beside Natsu.

"What was that about?" asked Natsu.

"Oh, that? That was nothing . . ." Akane's voice trailed off. "Anyway, let's play some games!"

She and Natsu spent the entire afternoon playing games which they never got bored of. When Akane noticed that it was getting dark, she decided to let Natsu go home.

"Well, bye, Natsu," said Akane. "It's been fun having some company around here."

Natsu walked towards Akane's door then paused.

"It's also been quite fun, Akane," said Natsu. "Hope I'll be able to visit again some time." Akane smiled at him. Natsu also smiled at her. Then he noticed that Akane was still holding his teddy bear present behind her back, which made him glad. Natsu took a step outside.

"Bye, Natsu," said Akane.

"Bye, Akane," replied Natsu. Natsu was about to leave when Akane called his name.

"Wait, before you leave…" Akane voice trailed off. Then she leaned over to Natsu and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Natsu obviously blushed. A girl never kissed him like that before.

"Thanks for the visit. A lot of my strength has returned because of you. I might be able to go to the guild tomorrow. Thanks again for the teddy bear," Akane said.

"And thank you for letting me have fun with you," said Natsu and grinned. He waved her good-bye and ran. Before Natsu could disappear in the darkness, Akane waved back.

Akane laid there frozen on her doorstep, thinking of what happened that day. She was still in deep thought when she sensed a being moving around her apartment. Her body tensed and she snapped out of it. She quickly went in a battle stance. She looked for something moving in her apartment. Then, she felt a gush of wind pass behind her. She looked back but nothing was there. In her mind, she was still identifying who it was. Then she sensed the being moving around her. She quickly turned around but she found nothing. She was still in battle-mode until she identified that the being she sensed was none other than Erza. She calmed down immediately. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. Then she opened them and looked around.

"Erza, I know it's you. Come out wherever you are," she said. But nobody responded. She knew that Erza was there, but she just couldn't see her passing by. Then, she sensed Erza about to pass by in front of her. She closed her eyes and concentrated. She waited for the right moment where Erza would pass by. When she finally did, Akane caught her by the arm. Akane opened her eyes and saw Erza trying to get out from her grasp. Akane quickly let her go upon seeing her struggle. Erza quickly got away from her. Erza rubbed her arm which turned red from Akane's grasp.

"You have a tight grasp," Erza said.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Anyway, what were you doing here snooping around my apartment, huh, Erza?" asked Akane.

"Oh, nothing. I came here for the same reason Natsu had," Erza said. "I saw what happened between you two a while ago."

"What?! Y-you did?! Which part?!" asked Akane totally embarrassed.

"Don't worry. I only saw the part where you kissed him…" Erza said creepily, giving Akane a weird look.

"Of all the things you could possibly do, why stare at me like that?!" Akane asked, creeped out.

"Nothing, it's just that you seem like you have a little something for Natsu. Don't you?" Erza asked using that creepy voice again.

"N-no, I don't!" Akane shouted, blushing. "What did you come her for anyway? Visit me or spy on me?" Akane asked.

"Believe me, I came here just to visit you…and to tell you something important," said Erza.

"And what is that? If I may ask," asked Akane keeping a formal tone.

"We're having a one-on-one S-Class mages' battle tomorrow and I'm inviting you to battle me. If you dare," said Erza in a challenging tone.

"Count me in! I'm fully recovered and I could do any type of battle," said Akane. "Game on."

Erza smirked. "That's good 'cause you'll be needing all your strength for tomorrow," said Erza. "Whoever wins will get a huge amount of money. You better win if you're willing to take that huge amount."

Akane grinned that sort of grin she would use if there is a battle concerning money.

"Sure. What time?" asked Akane.

"8:00 a.m. sharp. You better not be late," said Erza.

"Why would I be?" asked Akane. They both grinned friendly grins then Erza decided to leave.

"I'll be going now. All I came here was to see if you were okay. It seems to me that you are," Erza said. Erza went outside then they bid last farewells.

"Bye, Erza. I hope you're prepared for tomorrow," Akane said. Then, she suddenly remembered something important. "Oh yeah, how is Sora doing?"

"The newbie? She's getting along well. Master arranged a place for her to stay in. So, she's perfectly fine," Erza said.

"Has she done any requests yet?" asked Akane, obviously concerned for their new recruit.

"Yeah, one or two…I guess. She succeeded. She only took easy ones anyway," Erza replied.

"Well, that's all I wanted to know. Bye, Erza. Take care," said Akane.

"Bye, Akane. See you tomorrow. Hope you're ready for your biggest battle yet," said Erza. Erza waved a good-bye then walked home. Akane also waved back at her. After she could no longer see Erza, she retreated to her little kitchen. She opened her fridge and looked for some food then had dinner. She brushed her teeth, washed up, changed into her pajamas, and locked up. She closed all windows and locked all doors. Then, she flopped on her bed and thought about everything that happened that day. When she finally felt sleepy, she turned off the lights and closed her eyes. Then, she dozed off…

**The Next Morning…**

Akane felt the sun's rays against her face. She opened her eyes and blinked a bit because the sun was blinding. She forced herself to sit up then yawned.

"I'm still really sleepy…" Akane said. She put on her flip-flops then headed for the bathroom. She put water on her face and took a nice warm bubble bath. After that, she changed into an off-shoulder white blouse and some pants. She dried her hair, had breakfast, brushed her teeth and was ready to leave. She opened her front door then the morning sun greeted her. She sighed then started the day with a huge smile. She left her apartment then jogged all the way to the guild. Upon arriving, she was greeted by her friends who all came to ask if she was alright. Akane talked to them for a moment and felt that she was at home again. She began to relax then just have fun when she heard Erza's voice.

"So, you ready, fellow S-Class mage?" asked Erza. Akane immediately stopped relaxing and tried to focus on the up-coming battle.

"Of course I am. Are you?" asked Akane with a tough voice. Erza nodded. They shook hands and smiled at each other.

"Always remember that whatever the outcome might be, we are still friends and whichever of us loses should learn from our defeat," said Erza.

"I will," Akane replied.

"Now, come on. The battle is about to start. We better head out there," Erza said. Akane nodded. Before the two of them headed outside, all of their friends wished them a great battle and told them some encouraging stuff which made them stronger. Everybody was already outside except for Akane. She got left behind. She didn't really care if she got left behind. She just wanted to be alone for a while. Then she heard a familiar voice.

"Have a great battle out there," said the voice. Akane turned back and saw Gray standing a few feet away from her.

"Thanks," she said. She honestly couldn't think of anything else to say but that. She quickly headed outside after their encounter.

When she was finally outside, the guild master was already making some announcements.

"…Now let us welcome our two S-class mages, Erza Scarlet and Akane Furiyama!" He exclaimed. Everybody was shouting and screaming their names. Akane and Erza waved at them.

"Now, let the S-class Mages' Battle…BEGIN!" The guild master shouted. Now, the battle was officially on. Everybody was clapping their hands and whistling.

Akane and Erza went into a battle stance. Erza transformed her current armor to the Heaven's Wheel armor. Suddenly, thousands of swords circled around Erza. Erza kept the momentum for a little while then screamed. Then, the swords came plunging fast to Akane. Akane sensed every sword which enabled her to dodge them but they were too many. There was a sword coming straight at her. She dodged it but it was so close that it left a scar on her face. Akane caught the sword and threw it back to Erza. Erza quickly deflected it using the sword she wielded on her right hand.

The thousands of swords still continued. Akane tried her best to dodge them all but she couldn't. There were too many of them and they were all fast. Then, she thought of a clever idea. She closed her eyes then opened them. When she did, her eyes turned to an eerie grey color. Then, a thick fog started to form. Sooner or later, there was nothing that they could possibly see.

"What?!" Erza said in shock. She couldn't send out swords anymore because she doesn't know where Akane's location is. But for Akane, it wasn't a problem. Eventhough she couldn't see anything, she could still sense it. She was a sensory wizard after all.

Akane soon realized that the swords stopped coming after her. Now it was her turn to attack. She concentrated then small blades appeared in her right hand while ice crystals appeared on the left. They were tucked between her fingers.

"Now, take this!" Akane shouted. When everybody heard what Akane said, they all wanted to know what was going on, especially Natsu. But they couldn't since the fog hasn't cleared yet.

"Hey, what is going on out there?!" yelled Natsu.

"Something epic," Akane replied.

Then, Akane threw the blades first. They went straight for Erza. Erza couldn't see anything so she was unable to dodge them. Erza got hit by the blades. They wounded her, opening her skin and pouring out the blood. Erza let out small gasps. The blades wounded her badly leaving bloody wounds. Just when she thought it was over, Akane threw the ice crystals. It pinned her to a tree, leaving her unable to move. Erza's arms were pinned and so were her legs. She couldn't move at all. Akane thought it was the perfect moment to do another attack.

"Sonic Boom!" Akane screamed. Then she clapped her hands once and a loud piercing noise came out. Everybody covered their ears but Erza couldn't because she was pinned to a tree. So, she suffered. Then, the attack came after Erza. She felt a strong force push her, as if crushing her in a brute force. Erza screamed. She was struggling to get out of the ice crystals. Actually, she was pretending to be struggling but she was free of it. She wanted to fool Akane. Akane smiled thinking that Erza was no match for her. In the middle of the fog, Erza saw her smile. Then, Erza stood up straight. Akane sensed Erza slowly standing up. After she did, she was shocked. She really thought that she already got her.

"You think you already got me?" asked Erza.

"For a second there, I really thought I did. How did you get out of my ice crystals?' asked Akane curiously. Erza smirked then put her right hand on her waist.

"I'm an S-class mage just like you. I have my own secrets," Erza said mysteriously. She kept on playing with one of the ice crystals, throwing it up and then catching it. She kept on doing repeating this.

"You know, you're really gullible," Erza said. Then, she quickly threw the ice crystal. She aimed for one of Akane's transmission lines where the movements that she sensed would be sent to her brain. Therefore, if one of those transmission lines would not be intact, she couldn't sense something in a certain area. One was in her left shoulder. That was where Erza was aiming at. She made it quick, sharp, and painful.

Since Akane was still in a state of shock, she didn't sense one of the ice crystals coming straight at her. She did sense it, but it was already too late. The ice crystal pierced her shoulder then it harmed her transmission lines. Akane was sent off by the force of the blow. Erza came closer so that she could see Akane more. After she saw her, she smiled with satisfaction. Akane was now on her knees, coughing up blood over a simple attack. But that simple attack could seriously injure her. Her transmission lines were dangerously important to her. Without them, she would be weak and helpless. That was her only weakness. And nobody found out but Erza. Akane wiped off some blood off her lip. When she looked up, she saw Erza looking down at her.

"How did you know that that was my weakness?" Akane asked, still ejecting blood.

"Well, let's just say I have strong perceiving powers that nobody else has," said Erza.

After Erza stopped talking, Akane quickly stood up and gave her an uppercut. Akane then quickly backed away but she was still in her battle stance. Erza was taken aback by Akane's movements. _She's still fast even though she's already weak_, Erza thought. She decided to speak up, not wanting Akane to think that a simple move like that could surprise her. 

"You have gut doing something like that even though you're already weak," Erza said.

"I guess that's just how I am," Akane said. Then, she immediately gave Erza a three-punch combo on the stomach. Erza was pushed back a bit. _Erza was definitely not expecting that. Even though I'm weak, I'm still light on my feet, _Akane said in her head.

Erza smiled then took Akane's weakness as an advantage. She aimed her right hook for the left part of Akane's face. Since it was on the left, Akane couldn't sense it at all. Also because the fog was still there.

Akane was thrown backwards. She was lying on the ground now. She slowly stood up and decided to land a punch on Erza's face using her left hook which is so much faster than her right. She went closer to Erza then released her fast left hook. Just when she was about to land a punch, her shoulder reacted. Her injured shoulder started to act up. She put her hand on her shoulder, trying to absorb the pain. The searing pain made Akane fall down on her knees. She tried to stand up on her feet but she couldn't. It hurt a lot. Erza took that as an advantage. She punched Akane on the stomach sending her flying off again. She was on the ground again but Akane wasn't the sort to give up just yet. She mustered up all her remaining strength then used it to punch Erza on one of her huge wounds from her blades which is one her chest. Erza was sent flying off backwards. It made Erza's wounds open more. The blood coming from her wound started to trickle down her stomach then onto her leg. Erza was lying on the ground suffering from all the pain. After Akane released that blow, she also fell to down to the ground because of exhaustion and pain. Sooner or later, the fog began to clear up.

"Aww! I didn't get to see their epic battle," Natsu said whining like a huge baby.

"Well, whatever happened, it seems clear that it's a draw. I mean, look at them! They're both seriously injured," Lucy said scolding Natsu.

"I'm still not satisfied!" Natsu whined. Lucy kept on scolding him.

"Good thing I caught it all on tape," said Levy. As soon as Natsu heard her, he stopped wining and immediately went beside her.

"You did? Can I see?" asked Natsu being cute so that Levy would give her camera to him in an instant.

"Sure, Natsu," Levy said and gave her camera to him. Natsu felt really excited then played the video. But all his excitement died down when all he saw was fog.

"There's nothing here!" shouted Natsu. Everybody laughed at him including Erza and Akane. After all the laughter died down, Natsu decided to go to Akane.

"Hey, Erza, that was a great battle. I'm hoping to do it again with you sometime," Akane said.

"Yeah, you too. I'm also looking forward to another battle with you. I admit, you were pretty strong," said Erza.

"Nah, not that much. Only strong enough to take you on," said Akane. Then, they both laughed.

"Hey, make sure you don't tell anyone about my weakness," said Akane. Erza nodded.

Then, Natsu arrived coming to aid Akane.

"Hey, you alright?" asked Natsu.

"Yeah, I'm fine," answered Akane.

"C'mon, I'll help you up," said Natsu. Natsu extended his hand out to Akane. Akane took his hand and slowly stood up. She put her right arm around Natsu's neck while Natsu put his arm around Akane's waist. Then, Natsu helped her out. While Gray was the one who helped Erza. But as he did, he kept on looking at Akane and Natsu feeling quite jealous at the sight he was seeing. Erza looked at Gray and knew what exactly was going on.

"You're jealous, aren't you?" asked Erza in a teasing tone. He immediately blushed. Gray was kind of shocked at her question.

"Wha-what?! Me? Be jealous? Are you kidding me?" said Gray sarcastically then looked at them again. He instantly felt jealous.

"Yeah, it's written all over your face," said Erza.

"No, it's not!" Gray snapped. "I am not jealous! Now, come on."

Gray helped Erza all the way to a bench. Then, the guild master began to say something.

"Well, as you have seen, it seems that the battle has resulted to a draw. Therefore, the money, which is 1,000,000 jewels, will not be given to anyone. Now, let us congratulate our two S-class mages for their bravery and courageousness," Master Macarov said. After they heard the thing about the jewels, some people immediately went over to the master and told him that it'll be theirs. But the guild master shook his head and those people walked away stooping low. Meanwhile, everybody congratulated them, shook hands with them, said some really great stuff to them, etc. When everybody was already gone, Natsu cleaned Akane's wounds. Using a towel, he gently wiped the blood off Akane's shoulder.

"Does it hurt?" he asked as he put the towel to her wound.

"No, it doesn't. Just do it," ordered Akane. Natsu put the towel a little bit closer and started wiping it off. Akane let out a small gasp. Natsu then paused but Akane nodded, signalling Natsu to go on. So Natsu continued. Once, Natsu nudged the towel a little too close which made Akane scream a little. Natsu immediately apologized to her. He also put some plaster around Akane's wound which made her feel a little better. After Natsu was done, Akane wanted to go home so she stood up all by herself and tried to walk. But then she fell. Good thing Natsu caught her.

"Don't do that ever again," Natsu said. Akane nodded.

"Now, c'mon, I'm gonna bring you home," Natsu added then swept her off her feet and carried her in his arms.

"Natsu, I'm fine I can take myself home. There's no need for you to worry about me," she said. But Natsu insisted. So Akane just went with what Natsu wanted. Finally, they arrived at Akane's house. Natsu laid her down on her bed and let her rest. Then, he left. When he returned, he was carrying a glass of water and a plate with some biscuits on it. He put it on top of Akane's cabinet beside her.

"Why are you doing all this?" asked Akane.

"What?" asked Natsu back.

"This…you know, the whole caring for me and helping me sorta' thing," said Akane.

"Well…I guess that's how much I care for you," He said. Akane smiled at him.

"Well, I guess you could sleep here," said Akane. "That's the least I could do for all the kindness you've shown."

"Nah, don't think about that," said Natsu.

"No, really, you could sleep there on the floor," said Akane.

"What? You're gonna make me sleep there on the cold hard floor?!" asked Natsu.

"No!" Akane snapped. "Of course you'll sleep on one of the mattresses I have in my cabinet."

"Oh…so if that's the case…sure! I'd be glad to!" Natsu exclaimed. Akane told Natsu where her mattress is then it's up to Natsu to set it up. After he was already done, he flopped down on the mattress and fell fast asleep. Akane turned around and looked at Natsu sleeping. Akane just realized that he is really cute when he is asleep. Akane came out of her bed and bent down to Natsu and kissed him on the forehead.

"Night, Natsu," she whispered. Then, she also slept. But they didn't know that Gray actually followed them all the way there. He saw everything that happened, including the part where Akane kissed Natsu's forehead. He got really jealous that time and was just preventing himself from doing something bad. He hid all his jealousy inside.


	6. Chapter 6 Natsu Found Out

Chapter 6 Natsu Found Out

"Hey, Akane, let's do something fun," Natsu whined. "It's soo depressing here."

Akane did not stir. She remained on her bed unable to move her left shoulder because of Erza's attack on her yesterday. Instead, she kept on reading a novel about best friends who betrayed each other but eventually got back together again.

"Ok, here, read this book," Akane said. She handed Natsu a book that she got from her cabinet without removing her eyes off her novel.

"I said something fun, not something that's even more depressing," Natsu complained.

"Well, it is fun. It's about a dragon slayer who just wouldn't shut up his pie hole. You'd really like it," Akane said in a gentle tone but in a teasing way. Natsu just crossed his arms and pouted his lips. _He obviously doesn't like reading books_, Akane thought.

Akane put the book back in her cabinet and then went back to reading her novel while Natsu kept on pouting. There was pure silence in the room. Then, silence. Then, silence. Then, silence…

"Hey, I know exactly what we're going to do!" Natsu exclaimed. Then, that was the time the silence was broken.

But Akane didn't react to anything Natsu said. She remained like a rock.

"Hey, I just said something here," Natsu said. "Hey!"

"What?!" Akane retorted.

"I said I know what we're going to do," Natsu replied.

"I don't care," Akane replied and went back to her novel.

Natsu pouted his lips once more. Then, he knelt down on the floor beside Akane. Akane noticed that it has been quite a while since Natsu has been kneeling down there. She looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

"What now?" Akane asked. She looked at Natsu's eyes and noticed that he was doing the puppy-dog eyes.

"Oh no, don't think I'm gonna fall for that silly old trick," Akane told Natsu. And she was right. She did not fall for it no matter how cute Natsu's puppy-dog eyes were. Realizing that Akane didn't fall for it, Natsu thought of another way to convince her. He thought and thought until a light bulb appeared above his head. He kept on doing weird sounds while pushing and shoving Akane unabling her to read very well. Finally, she gave in.

"Ok, ok, what do you want us to do?" Akane asked giving Natsu a chance. Natsu grinned, not hiding how happy he was at his success. Akane sighed.

"Let's go around the city," Natsu suggested. Akane sighed once more.

"Natsu…" she said at first keeping a nice tone. "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT I CAN'T MOVE?!" she added angrily.

It seemed to Natsu that fire was surrounding Akane. He slowly backed away, heading for the exit. But he realized that it would be more depressing outside where he had nothing to do. So, he slowly took a few steps towards her.

"Well…well…I just thought that we could do something fun together to fasten the healing of your wounds…" Natsu said sincerely. He told the truth. After hearing what Natsu said, Akane's anger softened. She would really love to but with her wounds, she could not.

"Oh…well…I would, Natsu, if only I didn't have these wounds," said Akane softly. "They still hurt a lot and I'm unable to move my sore body."

Natsu frowned. He thought of some other way that he and Akane could hang out together. Then, an idea came out of nowhere.

"Well, considering your body hurts a lot and you cannot move because of that, then take an aspirin," Natsu suggested pretending to be some sort of genius.

"Natsu, you're a genius!" Akane said. "But…I seriously need to have some rest."

"Don't worry about that. I'll take care of you along the way," Natsu said. Akane smiled at him.

"What are you smiling about?" Natsu asked noticing the way Akane smiled at him.

"Oh, nothing. Anyway, I have an aspirin here somewhere. I always take it wherever I go just in case something's up," said Akane as she looked in the contents of her bag. Natsu waited eagerly for Akane to find it.

"Oh, here it is!" Akane exclaimed as she held the aspirin bottle in her palm.

Natsu's eyes immediately lit up. He left Akane's room quickly and returned after a second or two. Literally, it was a second. When he came back, he was holding a glass of water for Akane to use so that she can take a pill. Natsu approached Akane and gave her the glass.

"Thanks, Natsu," she said as she took the glass. She tapped the bottom of the bottle. Then, one pill came out. She popped it into her mouth and drank some water. She swallowed the pill and looked inside the bottle.

"Oh, man, that was the last one. Apparently, sooner or later, the pain would come back again and I would need at least two more pills," Akane said. Natsu frowned and stooped.

"Oh yeah, I think there's another bottle inside my medicine cabinet. Please check if the—

Before Akane could finish her sentence, Natsu was already there at the medicine cabinet looking for an aspirin.

"Here it is!" Natsu exclaimed at his victory. He turned around and extended his hand to reach Akane. When he did, he got shocked to see Akane stand all by herself.

"Whoa! How did you do that?" asked Natsu in sudden shock.

"I guess the aspirin is working fast," Akane said. Natsu was jumping around in joy.

"What are you jumping around for?" asked Akane confused.

"It's because of joy," said Natsu. Akane laughed at him.

Then, she put some stuff in her bag slowly, careful not to move her injured shoulder too much. Natsu, who couldn't wait any longer, kept on yelling 'Are you done now?' at the top of his lungs. But, Akane just ignored him in a good way.

"Alright, I'm all done! Now, let's go," said Akane. She slid her shoulder bag onto her right shoulder of course.

"Wait, this is a date, right?" asked Natsu.

"Well…you could say that. But it's more of a 'friendship hang out'…K?" asked Akane.

Natsu sighed because he would've liked it even more if it was a date. Nevertheless, he nodded and felt happy. Natsu and Akane walked around the streets of Magnolia looking at different shops, street performers, and other stuff that would interest them. They kept on laughing and joking at the stuff they would see. As they kept on walking, Akane saw a little girl crying at the side of the street. She quickly stopped walking because that sight brought her back to a flashback.

***FLASHBACK***

_I was there…on the street…abandoned by my parents who didn't love me at all…I could feel the tears stream down like a waterfall. After Natsu left, I felt so alone. I didn't know what to do. So I decided to live on the streets. Life on the street isn't easy at all. Sometimes, you would dumpster dive just to get some food for you to eat. And every time I found good food, some other street kids would bully me and take away all my food. They would take my cardboard that I found and some newspaper that would keep me warm at night. And every night, I ended up freezing and suffering form starvation. I couldn't sleep at night thinking of how miserable my life is. I'd cry and cry until my eyes would turn really red. Just when I thought my whole life was nothing but trash, a kind man approached me and handed me some food and gave me a home. He was a powerful wizard with lots of money. He took me in his home and treated me as his own daughter while I treated him as my own father. And I grew up loving him very much. But then, one day, something terrible had happened…_

***End of Flashback***

"Akane…Akane…Akane!" Natsu shouted as he tried to call her attention. Akane heard her name being called and she quickly snapped out of it.

"What, Natsu?" she asked, a bit dazed.

"You just quickly stopped in the middle of the street. Is there something wrong?" asked Natsu, practically worried.

"Oh, no, Natsu. I'm perfectly fine," asked Akane. Then, he placed the back of his hand on her forehead.

"Are you sure? You seem kinda' dazed," said Natsu suspiciously.

"Really, I'm fine," Akane insisted. "Wait here."

"Wait, where are you going?" asked Natsu but Akane did not reply. Instead, she approached the little girl she saw earlier. As she got closer, she bent down and talked to her. Natsu watched from a short distance.

"Hello, what's your name?" Akane asked gently.

"Lisa," the little girl replied.

"Hello, Lisa, why are you crying?" asked Akane once more.

"It's because…because…because I have nowhere else to go and the other kids stole the food that a kind woman gave me," Lisa answered. Then, she started to cry again.

"Shhh…Don't cry, Lisa," Akane hushed. She reached into her pocket and took out 10 jewels.

"Here you go," Akane said. She held the little girl's hand and put the jewels inside then closed it.

"Now, you go buy yourself some food. Okay?" Akane asked in a nice tone. The little girl looked at her warmly and nodded.

"Okay, good. Now, promise me you won't cry anymore," Akane said.

"I promise," replied Lisa. Akane wiped her remaining tears using her thumb.

"Now, off you go," Akane said and the girl took off to buy some food. But before she was lost in sight, the little girl turned around and mouthed the words 'thank you' and then ran off.

Natsu was a little shocked at Akane's act of kindness. Akane stood up and went beside Natsu.

"What'd you do that for?" Natsu asked. Akane looked at him.

"Do what?" asked Akane back.

"Giving that kid some money," Natsu said.

"Oh…that…" Akane's voice trailed off and then she looked away. She began walking. Natsu had to catch up with her. Natsu was waiting for Akane to reply. Finally, she spoke up.

"Well, you know what I was when I was a kid," Akane said. "I was just like that little girl."

Natsu's eyes widened. _Why did she suddenly bring this up? _Natsu thought.

"After you left, I had to live in the streets. Everyday was a day of misery and feeling like you're nothing. Tougher kids would steal my food and newspaper and carton that keeps me warm at night. I felt so alone…left out…" Akane's voice trailed off again. Natsu was listening but his mind was on other things—things that he would not like to remember.

"Natsu," Akane said. Natsu looked at her.

"Yeah?" asked Natsu and stared at her.

"Why did you leave me? You know, when we were still young," Akane said. Natsu was taken aback. That was exactly what he didn't want to remember and Akane said it.

"I…er…" Natsu couldn't find the right words to say to her.

"If you don't want to tell me then don't," Akane said, her voice low and sad.

"Akane—

"Natsu, it's fine, really," Akane said trying to hide what she was really feeling.

"But—

"Shh…" Akane interrupted Natsu once more. Finally, Natsu kept quiet.

While they were walking, there were no conversations going on. Natsu wanted to talk to Akane but he was afraid that Akane might be angry at him for leaving her. Natsu wanted to tell Akane the reason why but he was also afraid of what Akane's reaction may be. So, he kept quiet and just waited for the right opportunity to tell her, just not publicly in the streets.

"Natsu, what do you wanna do?" asked Akane trying to break the silence. Natsu at first couldn't believe what had just happened because he thought that Akane was mad at him but then he realized she wasn't. Natsu cleared his throat and spoke.

"It's up to you…" Natsu said. "…as long as it's fun."

Akane laughed at him a little because of what he said about doing stuff the fun way.

"Well of course it would be fun. Why, am I not a fun person? Look in the mirror and you'll see someone who's not fun at all," Akane said teasing him.

Natsu borrowed a mirror from Akane. He still couldn't get what she meant by 'look in the mirror and you'll see someone who's not fun at all' because he wasn't quite smart yet.

Natsu held Akane's mirror in front of him. He looked into it. After a few seconds, Akane turned to look at Natsu. She then realized that his face was turning red and smoke seemed to come out of his ears.

"So, did you see the person who's not fun at all?" asked Akane teasing again. Natsu slowly turned his head to face Akane.

"I…AM…NOT THAT SOMEONE WHO'S NOT FUN AT ALL!" shouted Natsu. Akane realized that this was going to be fun. So she decided to provoke him a little more.

"Oh really? Because I thought the person that you saw in the mirror was just your twin because you look really alike. Do you know that?' Akane asked provoking him.

Natsu was really in flames that time. Imaginary fire surrounded Natsu in anger but Akane didn't care at all. She knew exactly what she was going to do.

"You devilish little girl…" Natsu said, his voice trailing off. "I'm gonna get you for that!"

Natsu put his arms out in front of him and chased Akane. Akane ran as fast as she could. Akane used the crowd as an advantage. She would slip from here to there which would make Natsu bump into people. Natsu was having a hard time chasing Akane around. He would bump into people and occasionally say sorry over and over again. Then, Akane got caught up in a corner. She looked behind. Natsu was nowhere in sight. She decided to take a rest for a while. Sooner or later, she felt excruciating pain in her left shoulder. She grasped her left shoulder and when she took a glance back, Natsu wasn't far behind. She was in trouble.

Akane couldn't bear the pain anymore. She fell down on her knees then she slid her bag off her shoulder and looked for the aspirin bottle. She took another glance. She couldn't see Natsu but she saw pink hair sticking out of the crowd very near to her. Akane panicked. She was sweating really hard and was desperately looking for the bottle. When she finally found it, Natsu was less than 10 steps behind her. She poured one pill in her mouth and took a drink from her water bottle. She quickly swallowed it. She rested her back on the wall and wiped all her sweat off and also waited for the aspirin to take effect. _C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon…Why isn't it working yet?_ Akane thought. Then, she saw Natsu right in front of her. Natsu snickered.

"I see you're now backed against the wall," Natsu said in a low making-you-feel-kinda'-scared voice. "Get ready for the tickle of a lifetime."

**Akane's P.O.V.**

Typical Natsu…I knew all along that all he was going to give me was just a little tickle. But Natsu's a master of tickle. He's got fast and light hands that would be able to make you cry in seconds because of laughter. I wouldn't be able to survive that. Oww! My shoulder still hurts a lot. Great! Why isn't that aspirin working yet?!

"Now, get ready to experience the ticklest of the tickle," Natsu said to me.

"Is that even a word?" I replied trying to buy time to think of what else I could do because that aspirin clearly won't work. It even made me feel kinda' dizzy. Oh no! Natsu's taking a few steps towards me with his hands in the air as if he's about to strike. Gotta think of something fast!

Without any other option, my hand slowly crept to my water bottle just a few inches away from me. Natsu didn't notice…good thing. Just as he was about to lay his hands on me, I took my water bottle and splashed cold water all over his face. Natsu got hit all over the face.

"I just thought you needed to chill for a while," I said and stood up then ran.

"You think that's funny?!" asked Natsu while wiping all the water off his face so he didn't notice me run away.

"Hey! Come back here," Natsu shouted to me. I couldn't sense things very well but I sense him moving really close to me.

"Hi ya! " Natsu shouted then I realized he was already running beside me. I looked at him and then he grinned. I ran a little faster but I couldn't because my shoulder and body hurts so bad. Note to self: Never rely on your sensory abilities especially when one of your transmission lines are damaged.

I ran faster but every time I took a step, Natsu is already a step close to me. What do I do?

"Oh yeah!" I exclaimed. I took a huge step and then teleported a few steps behind Natsu. Natsu didn't notice me. He was in shock 'cause I suddenly disappeared. He looked for me but never thought of turning around. I grinned. I decided to go home since I felt really dizzy and my whole body hurts. I teleported myself all the way home. Teleportation is one of the abilities that I gained from one of my opponents. He was a tough teleporter. But eventually, I defeated him and gained his powers. I just remembered that a while ago when I was in danger of getting 'the ticklest of the tickle' from Natsu, if that's even a word.

Finally, I arrived home. I immediately lied down on my bed still in pain. I was in shock 'cause the aspirin didn't work and it gave me a really bad headache but a while ago it didn't and it worked for only a matter of seconds. I took the bottle from my bag and read the label.

"ANTIHISTAMINE?!" I screamed in shock and anger. Then, my head hurt a bit more. The bottle slipped away from my hands and fell to the ground.

"Ooh, Natsu's going to get his prize after I've recovered," I said while putting my head down and hugging the teddy bear Natsu gave to me as a gift. "Ugh…It sucks wanting to get revenge but not getting it."

I rested for a while until I finally dozed off…

**End of P.O.V.**

Akane's front door swung open with a loud thud. Natsu stepped inside.

"Silly Akane. She went home without telling me; and she escaped my 'ticklest of the tickle' technique. Luckily, she forgot to close her front door," Natsu said while looking for Akane.

Sooner or later, Natsu found Akane lying on her bed. He approached her and sat beside her on Akane's bed. Natsu stared at Akane for quite a while. He looked at her longingly. Akane laid there like an angel; sweet and beautiful. Natsu realized that Akane was really pretty when she is asleep. He went a little closer to her and whispered something in her ear.

"Akane, I wish you knew how much I love you…" Natsu whispered.

Then, Akane began to shift to another position; facing Natsu. After Akane faced Natsu, Natsu noticed that Akane was hugging the teddy bear she gave him. Natsu smiled upon seeing that. Then, Akane groaned a little. Natsu backed away a little; afraid that Akane might be waking up. But she didn't. Upon seeing that she did not, Natsu lied down beside her because he also felt sleepy and wanted to take care of Akane for a while. Natsu put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. But, he heard Akane say something. He listened.

"Natsu…" Akane said. Natsu's eyes widened upon hearing his name.

"She must be dreaming about me," Natsu said smiling. Then, Akane spoke again.

"Natsu…" Akane said. "You're just not aware of how much I'm in love with you…"

Natsu heard everything that Akane had just said. At first, he wouldn't believe his own ears. _This is too good to be true_, Natsu thought. He kept on slapping and pinching himself to ensure that he's really awake and not in some kind of dream. After a series of slaps and pinches, Natsu still wasn't sure if he's awake. So he punched himself in the face.

"Alright…I am awake and not in a dream," Natsu declared.

Natsu faced Akane. He stared at her for a really long while. Then, he came closer to Akane and kissed her on the cheek. Akane moved a little but did not awaken. Natsu saw her hug his teddy bear present tightly. Then, he shut his eyes.

_I just hope that everything I heard is real and not a fantasy_, Natsu said in his head. He dozed off then.


	7. Chapter 7 The Ball

Chapter 7 The Ball

Natsu groaned. It was morning already. He rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up still yawning. He realized that Akane wasn't there. He looked around but saw no trace of her.

"So she isn't here…" Natsu said pondering over the places she probably went to. "Where did she run off to this time?" He was thinking really hard when a voice called out his name. At first he thought it was Akane but he realized that her voice is really different from the voice he just heard.

"Natsu!" Natsu heard the voice say again. He faced the direction where the voice was coming from. He squinted and saw a flying blue cat coming straight at him.

"Hey, Happy!" Natsu said. Then Happy hugged Natsu tight.

"Why did you come all the way here, Happy?" asked Natsu.

"I was going to deliver an important message from Akane," Happy replied.

"From Akane, huh? Why? Where is she anyway?" asked Natsu.

"She's at the guild. She told me to go to her apartment and tell you that you should go to the guild as soon as you wake up," Happy explained.

"At the guild, eh?" Natsu said. "So that's where she went…but why would she be there?"

"There's going to be a special occasion at the guild later. Now come on!" After Happy said that, he immediately bolted right out of Akane's apartment.

"Hey, Happy, wait up!" Natsu called. But happy didn't stop. He was so fast that Natsu had to run. Sooner or later, they arrived at the guild. Natsu bent down on his knees while panting heavily. Sweat was trickling down his forehead. He wiped it off with the back of his hand. He looked up and saw Akane carrying a box of decorations.

"Hey, Natsu! Did you receive my message?" asked Akane. Instead of replying, Natsu stood straight up and approached Akane. He looked at her straight in the eye.

"Natsu, is there something wrong?" asked Akane.

"Next time, don't ever do that again!" Natsu shouted but not loud enough that the whole guild could hear. Only Akane heard it. "I was so worried about you…"

Akane was shocked. She didn't think that Natsu would actually worry about her. Then she blushed.

"Really, Natsu? You were really that worried about me?" asked Akane.

"Well…I…I wasn't really that worried about you," Natsu said half-denying it and blushing too. Akane smiled at him.

"Now, come on. We've got a lot of work to do," said Akane while taking Natsu's hand and pulling him. Natsu was startled a bit. He stared at his hand and Akane's. He looked at Akane and back to their hands again. He then closed his hand on hers.

Meanwhile, everyone was working hard on decorating the guild. Mostly, everyone used their magical powers. But there was one man who didn't help which is Gajeel. Erza spotted him sitting on a chair and putting his hands behind his head snoring loudly. Erza approached him.

"GAJEEL!" Erza shouted. Gajeel immediately woke up and hit his head on the wall.

"Oww…" Gajeel said while rubbing his head. "Now what, Erza?"

"Everyone's working their butts off while you're here snoring!" Erza shouted at him. But Gajeel didn't seem to care. "Now take these boxes to Levy. These are decorations. After you do, help her put them around the guild. Is that clear?"

"Clear…" Gajeel said yawning.

"IS THAT CLEAR?!" Erza shouted at him loudly. Gajeel bolted up.

"Yes, yes, it's clear," Gajeel answered in a formal tone.

"Now go and help Levy!" Erza shouted.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Gajeel said then stooped down to pick up the boxes that Erza told him to bring to Levy. Then, he marched like a soldier all the way there. Erza smiled with satisfaction and went back to what she was doing.

The guild was half finished being decorated at that moment. All it needed were the finishing touches.

"There!" said Mirajane. At last, the guild was finished decorating. It sparkled with sparkly and glittery decors all over. Everyone was satisfied at the result of their hard work.

"I'm beat," Lucy said while lying down on the floor.

"Yeah, me too," Akane said while lying down on the floor to join Lucy.

"I believe we all are. Now, I declare everyone to take a rest. The ball shall be held at 5 pm later in the afternoon. Thanks to Mirajane, we wouldn't have this ball organized. And also, thank you to everyone who helped," Erza said and shot an expressive look of thanks to Gajeel. Gajeel winced a little. Everyone began to exit the guild.

"Where is everyone going?" Natsu asked curiously.

"They're going to buy some clothes for the ball later," Akane replied.

"You know, that's what I've been so curious about," Natsu said. "What is this 'ball' for?"

"You see, I was planning for our guild to have an acquaintance party since we had a lot of new members. There are also new members coming up later. So I told the guild master about my plan and he agreed to do it. And the only way I thought of celebrating that acquaintance party is through a ball," Mirajane explained.

"Come to think of it, I think we should also buy some clothes for later, Natsu," suggested Akane.

"What do you mean by 'we'?" asked Natsu.

"You know, I think we should also buy one since you don't have one yet and so do I," said Akane. Natsu thought for a while. Akane patiently waited.

"Sure!" Natsu exclaimed. Akane's face lit up.

"Let's go then!" Akane exclaimed and locked her arm into Natsu's. "Bestie, do you want to come?" asked Akane calling Sora 'bestie' since they were bestfriends and they both agreed to call each other that.

"Thanks, Akane but I already bought one yesterday 'cause I don't wanna panic today," said Sora.

"Okay," said Akane then she and Natsu left.

"You know, guys, I think Natsu and Akane are…together," said Levy.

"What would make you say that, Levy?" asked Lucy.

"Nothing really. It's just that they seem really sweet with each other," said Levy.

"Sweet? In what way?" asked Erza.

"Well, did you see how Akane locked her arm into Natsu's?" said Levy. "They really seem like a couple to me."

"We'll know soon," Mirajane said.

**Meanwhile…**

Akane and Natsu were busy looking for clothes through shops for Natsu.

"Try these, Natsu," Akane said while handing him a few set of clothes. Natsu tried the first one on. After wearing it, he stepped out of the dressing room. Akane was sitting on a bench trying to judge whether the clothes Natsu was wearing were perfect for him. After seeing Natsu, Akane laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" asked Natsu. Akane kept on laughing.

"That seersucker doesn't look good on you, Natsu," Akane said laughing. "Besides, it's too short."

Natsu looked down and saw that the pants he was wearing were already up to his ankles. Natsu looked back up to Akane and understood why she was laughing so hard. He looked at himself in the mirror and almost laughed too. He did look _really_ funny.

"Try the next one," said Akane. Natsu went back inside and tried on the next one. He stepped back outside after a minute or two. Akane stared at him. Natsu was waiting for Akane's comments.

"Well?" asked Natsu.

"Long sleeves don't look good on you. You look like an orangutan with really long arms," said Akane. "Try the last one and if that still won't work, I'll look for more."

"Thanks, Akane," said Natsu.

"What for?" asked Akane back.

"For being so willing to help me look for some clothes I could wear for the ball later," Natsu said and smiled at her. Akane smiled back.

"Now, try that last one," Akane said and pushed Natsu back inside the dressing room. He stepped out of it feeling kind of awkward. After seeing the new Natsu, Akane's jaw was about to drop but she refused for it to happen. Akane was so amazed at Natsu. He was wearing a tuxedo that fit perfectly on him and made him look really handsome. But for Natsu, he felt weird.

"Akane, I feel really weird wearing this. Don't you think it's bad?"

"No, Natsu, it actually looks really good on you," Akane said.

"Really? Then why do I feel really weird and awkward?"

"Maybe that's because you're not used to the feeling of looking good," said Akane. "Now, let's purchase this one."

"But I don't feel comfortable in it!" Natsu complained.

"That's okay. It just means that you'll look really good later," Akane said. "Take that off and we'll bring that to the counter."

Natsu took it off then they bought it. Then they went out of the store and looked for clothes that were for Akane.

"Good thing that that tux only costs 625 jewels or else I hadn't afforded to buy that," Akane said.

"You know, I could've been the one who paid for that since it's mine," Natsu said.

"That's okay. Let's say I gave you a treat for today," said Akane. Natsu was about to say something else when Akane pulled him around a corner and into a shop. The clothes caught her eye so she wanted to buy some clothes there. She entered the dressing room and let Natsu pick some dresses for her. Natsu handed her some with colors that Akane really liked. Akane came out of the dressing room. Akane spun around so that Natsu could have a better look.

"So, what do you think?" asked Akane. Natsu had his thinking face on.

"I think it's short…way too short," Natsu said. Akane faced the mirror. Natsu was right. The dress was too short. If the wind blew, people would see her lingerie. Eventhough Akane really liked the color which was rosy pink; she could do nothing else about the shortness. Akane returned inside the dressing room and emerged from it for a few minutes. Akane wore a sexy black dress which was up to her knee with silver stones on its waist line. Akane waited for Natsu.

"Hmmm…the chest part is too low," Natsu said. Akane looked at herself in the mirror. The chest part was too low. If she bent down, her chest could be seen. So, she went back inside the dressing room. She stepped outside a few minutes later. What Natsu saw stunned him. Akane looked astonishing in that above-the-knee pink and peach satin dress with some beads embellished on it and a gold belt which hung from her waist. It had no sleeves which exposed Akane's shoulders. Natsu honestly couldn't say anything.

"She's beautiful…" Natsu whispered under his breath.

"What was that, Natsu?" asked Akane.

"No, nothing…" Natsu lied.

"So, how do I look?" asked Akane.

"You look remarkably stunning, Akane," Natsu said. Akane blushed.

"I wouldn't say that," Akane said.

"But you really do," said Natsu.

"Thanks," she replied. "So, let's buy this one then."

Akane took it off first and purchased it. The salesladies also said that she looked stunning in it. So she had no doubt about buying that dress. Next, they bought some shoes for Akane. Natsu already had some so no need. They came across a store that had just opened yesterday. They entered it.

"Wow…" Akane said. She was so amazed at all the shoes. She wanted to buy some shoes that were sparkly. While she was searching, she saw a pair of heels that looked really pretty and sparkly. She wanted to try them on. She sat down on the bench and took off her sandals. Before she could try them on, Natsu came.

"Let me," Natsu offered. He knelt down on one knee and slid Akane's foot into the shoe. It fitted her perfectly. Natsu looked up and saw Akane smiling at him. He smiled back at her. The moment was so sweet. But they didn't know that someone was watching their sweet moment happen. It was Gray and Sora. They were spying on them because Mirajane ordered them to. She and the others wanted to find out if they were really in a relationship so they sent Gray and Sora to be their spies.

"They look really sweet," said Sora trying to find words to say to Gray because she was really shy whenever she was around him. But Gray didn't reply. He was too busy trying to listen to their conversation through the glass wall.

Akane tried walking around with the shoes on. She stared at the shoes in the mirror and started walking them around again.

"There's only one problem, Natsu," said Akane with a worried look on her face.

"What?" asked Natsu.

"I'm not used to wearing high heels. I'm afraid I might trip and fall," said Akane.

"That's okay. I'll be there to catch you," Natsu said grinning.

"Thank you, Natsu," Akane said. She took off the shoes and placed them on the counter. She was about to hand over the money when Natsu stopped her.

"I'll pay," he said as modestly as he could.

"It's fine, Natsu. You don't have to worry over buying me some shoes," Akane said.

"I just wanted to return your kindness when you bought me that tuxedo," Natsu said grinning. After that, Akane let him pay.

They went back to Akane's apartment. Natsu went back to his place because he didn't want to bother Akane while she was preparing for the ball. Besides, he promised that he'd pick her up.

Akane took a little nap first. She lied down on her bed and after a few minutes she dozed off.

Soon, Akane woke up. Her eyes fluttered open and then she yawned. She sat up and slowly went to her dresser. She got her brush and started brushing her hair. Then she took out her phone from her bag to check what time it is. She pressed a button on her phone and the time popped out.

"What the-? It's already 4:45 pm! How long was I out?" she asked herself in total shock. "Well, no time for that. I gotta get ready before Natsu gets here. I wouldn't want him waiting for me." She put down her phone and looked for the dress. She found it hanging on her door. She got it and then slid inside it. She straightened the dress up and fixed it to make sure that the dress looked perfect. Then, she took out a medium-sized heart-shaped box out of her drawer. She opened it and inside was lots and lots of make-up. She kept them in there for emergency use. She knew how to apply make-up on herself so she did. She sat on a chair in front of her dresser. She applied some lip gloss on her lips. Then, she began putting the make-up on. First, she applied foundation. Then, some pink blush on her cheeks. Next, she applied make-up on her eyes. After that, she applied mascara on her eyelashes.

"All done," she said. She checked the time on her phone. It was 4:53 pm. "That's just enough time for me to finish preparing." She then tied her hair into a neat bun and let some of her locks in the front to be loose so they were up to her shoulders. Then, she backed away from the mirror and stared at herself inside it.

"Okay…I look good now," she said satisfied with the way she looked. She got her purse and stuffed things inside it. At the very moment she was finished preparing, Natsu arrived. He knocked on the door softly. Akane opened it. Natsu stared at Akane who looked really pretty. Akane stared at Natsu who looked charming and handsome. There was a certain silence that time. Akane was too busy staring at Natsu that she didn't notice him holding a pink carnation.

"Uhmm…Natsu, you look absolutely great," Akane said.

"And you look absolutely beautiful, Akane," Natsu said. Akane blushed. Then, Natsu extended out his hand. In his hand was a pink carnation. He tucked it in her hair.

"You'll look even more beautiful with that," Natsu said after placing it in her hair.

"Thank you, Natsu. This is my favorite flower and you got the color right, too. But how did you know my favorite flower and its color?" Akane asked curiously. Natsu shrugged.

"It was just a guess, Akane," Natsu said honestly.

"Well, I think your good with guesses," Akane said while fixing his tie.

"Now, let's go. We wouldn't want our friends to be waiting for us," Natsu said. He extended out his hand. Akane gladly took it. Natsu led her to a parked car which they were supposed to ride on. Natsu opened the door for Akane in the front.

"Thank you, Natsu," she said and entered the car. Natsu went over to the other side and entered it too. Natsu started the engine. The engine began to roar. Natsu put his hands on the wheel and began driving.

"I didn't know you knew how to drive a car, Natsu," said Akane.

"I just learned it anyway," he said.

"Is this your car? I just want to ask since I've never seen you have one," said Akane.

"No," Natsu replied. Akane decided not to ask whose car it was. While Natsu decided not to tell Akane that the car was rented.

"Okay, we're here," Natsu said. He parked the car first. Then, he opened the door for Akane. They entered the guild together. When they entered the guild, it was still dark. The ball wasn't starting yet. They were all waiting for the lights to turn on.

"Hey, Bestie," Sora called. "Glad you made it."

"You too, Bestie," Akane replied. "Wait with us."

"Sure," Sora replied. Then, the lights turned on. First, the lights in the front turned on then it turned on all the way to the back. Everyone was so excited. Mirajane took a microphone and began saying some stuff in it.

"Thank you, everyone for coming here today to join us in our first annual Fairy Tail ball," Mirajane said. Everybody clapped. "Now…let's party!" There was a lot of food on a really long table. There were cupcakes, pizza, smoothies, pie, vanilla ice cream and different kinds of pastries. People who didn't like to dance ate some food. Everyone was there, even the new members. People befriended them and they also had fun. Erza danced with the new member, Jellal Fernandez while Mizuki Fujiwara and Akira Fujiwara or the Fujiwara sisters, had fun talking with some of the members. A couple of songs were being played and a lot of people danced along to it. Mirajane danced with Freed. Levy danced with Gajeel. Cana danced with her barrel of beer. Gray danced with Lucy but then Juvia spotted them together. Juvia was so jealous that she challenged Lucy to a battle outside. So instead of dancing, they were fighting. So instead of Lucy, Gray danced with Sora. Everyone was having fun. Akane was just sitting down and talking with some people eventhough she wanted to dance with Natsu. She was waiting for him to ask her. But Natsu was really shy. But after mustering up all his courage, he decided to ask her. He approached her and began fidgeting a little.

"A…A…A…Aka…ne?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah?" asked Akane.

"W-would…you…l-l-like t-to dance?" Natsu stammered.

"Sure!" Akane exclaimed.

"Really?" asked Natsu.

"Of course, Natsu," said Akane. Then they went to the dance floor and began dancing. The ball was about to end. Everyone was still having fun and not wanting the ball to end sooner. Natsu and Akane sat down.

"That was fun, Natsu," said Akane.

"Yeah, it was," Natsu said. "C'mon, Akane. I gotta tell you something." Natsu pulled Akane into a dark corner where no one could see them.

"Okay, so what do you want to tell me, Natsu?" asked Akane. She noticed Natsu was sweating really hard and fidgeting too. She thought that what Natsu was going to say was really serious.

"Akane?" asked Natsu.

"Yes?" asked Akane.

"I…I…love you!" Natsu blurted out. Akane was shocked. "It's not that sort of friend love that most of us share…it's more than that."

"Oh…" Akane said.

"This is stupid. I'm confessing to you eventhough I know that you have no feelings for me," Natsu said as if he just lost an all-important battle.

"No, it isn't really like that…" Akane said. She approached Natsu and hugged him really tight. "I love you too, but there are some reasons why we can't be together."

"Then, can we be on probation?" Natsu asked.

"Sure," Akane replied. She appreciated the fact that Natsu didn't ask for the reason.

"Now, come on," said Akane taking his hand. Natsu was still in shock but he smiled anyway. Now, the battle between Juvia and Lucy ended and Juvia won. She went back inside the guild and decided to dance with Gray but she saw Sora dancing with him. She was so enraged that she flooded the whole guild with water. None of them escaped. After the ball, everyone was so wet. Some girls blamed Juvia because their make-up got ruined while some people defended her. The night ended peacefully. Everyone went home except for Gray and Sora. She had something important to tell him.

"What were you going to say, Sora?" asked Gray.

"Well…you see, Gray…everytime I see you my heart starts to pound and sometimes I'd think I'm crazy but I just realized that I'm…that I'm…that I'm in love with you!" Sora blurted. Gray was shocked but also felt pity for Sora.

"I'm sorry, Sora, but I already like someone else and I wouldn't want you to know who that is or else it would hurt you real bad," Gray said.

"Just tell me," Sora said eventhough she felt bad that she isn't the one whom Gray likes.

"Well…it's…Akane," Gray said. "Sorry, Sora." Sora couldn't believe what she had just heard. Her bestfriend was now her rival. She fought the tears and left Gray. She ran all over to the lake and cried there. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks. She looked at reflection on the water. A teardrop fell from her cheek and into the lake which made her reflection look distorted. Then, she saw another reflection on the water. She turned around. She saw a man with a hood over his head.

"Why are you crying, Miss?" asked the man.

"Nothing…the guy I liked liked someone else and that was my bestfriend," Sora said fighting the tears once more. The man kept silent for a moment.

"Well…would you like to come with me?" the man asked. "I just thought so since it seems like you have no where else to go and going back certainly isn't the option. Don't worry. I don't bite," the man said kindly. Sora thought for a moment. If she went back, she might do something to hurt Akane so it was better for her to leave. But first, she read the man's mind. Sora found out that the man was telling the truth and that he was really honest about making his offer.

"Okay…" she said and went with the man having full trust in him.


	8. Chapter 8 Arriving at the Castle

Chapter 8 Arriving at the Castle

"Our house is just over there," the hooded man said pointing up ahead. "We shall arrive there soon." It was already early morning. They have been traveling all night. Sora squinted to see a house but all she could see was a bunch of trees and woodland animals. They went deeper into the woods. After a while of walking, Sora felt uneasy walking with the guy. She thought he was going to take her somewhere far away and do something to harm her. Sora stared at the guy and read his mind. Then, she sighed. _That guy is pure angelic goodness…what should I be afraid of?_ Sora thought. _The guy said that their house is just up ahead but we've been walking for the whole night now. I hope this guy ain't crazy._ Sora heard a soft rustle. She immediately shifted her gaze over to the place where she heard the rustle. The hooded man noticed her and was curious.

"What are you looking at?" The hooded man asked. Sora turned to look at him.

"I think I heard a rustle over there," Sora said pointing to a couple off odd-looking plants. The hooded man bent down and picked up a stone then threw it over to the place where Sora was pointing at. Sora watched excitedly. Then, horns popped out.

"It's just a deer," the hooded man said. He picked a couple of raspberries and walked over to the deer. He bent down and put out his hand. The deer backed away but the hooded man gave him a warm smile. So, the deer came a bit closer and nibbled on the raspberries on the man's hand. The man patted him gently.

"Now, off you go," the hooded man said as the deer finished eating. The deer went away as if he understood what the man said. The hooded man stood up and looked at Sora. Sora blushed—embarrassed.

"You were scared 'cause of that?" asked the hooded man.

"N-no!" Sora stammered. "I was just a little bit flustered."

"Well, don't be like that. The woodland animals here are friendly. Come on now. We're almost there," the hooded man said and took Sora by the hand. He pulled her a little bit.

"Hey-!" Sora said. Then, she blushed as she saw his hand on hers. _A guy never held my hand like that…except for Gray…when we danced. _Sora thought. _Argh! Why can't I get my mind off him?_ Suddenly, the man stopped walking. Sora bumped into him.

"Ow…" Sora said as she rubbed her head.

"We're here!" the hooded man exclaimed. Sora looked in front of them.

"Really? I don't see anything…" Sora said squinting.

"Just wait," the hooded man replied. "Siberius, open the gate!"

"Yes, your highness," Sora heard the voice say. Suddenly, the trees in front of them parted and a huge mansion showed. Sora's eyes widened.

"Wwoooow…" Sora said in a gentle whisper. "You live here?"

The man chuckled. "Yes, I live here with my sister and my parents but my parents aren't here momentarily because they went on an important mission," the hooded man said. "Come inside." The hooded man went in first and was greeted by a man whom Sora thought was Siberius. Sora stepped inside too. But, Siberius pointed his sword at her.

"Who dares go inside his highness's kingdom?" Siberius asked in a stern voice. Before Sora could reply, the hooded man spoke.

"She is with me, Siberius. You may put your sword down," the hooded man said.

"My apologies, your highness," Siberius said and bowed low. "You may enter," he said once more and withdrew his sword. Sora began to relax. She followed the hooded man inside. _Their house is so huge! No, it's more like a mansion. No, it's a castle! _Sora thought. There were Ionic columns on every corner and the walls were painted with a light shade of blue. Sora looked up and she saw a beautiful chandelier with thousands of pretty lights that seemed to hypnotize you in the center of the room. Sora was still gazing at the beautiful hypnotic lights when she heard a voice calling.

"Elder brother!" the voice said. Sora looked over to the direction where the voice was coming from. Then, she saw a girl with orange hair and eyes about 12 years old running over to the hooded man. The hooded man knelt down and hugged the girl.

"It took you quite a while to get back home, elder brother," the girl said.

"Yes, it was quite a long journey, little sister," the hooded man said. The girl noticed Sora standing there watching them.

"And you made friends," the girl said referring to Sora. Sora flushed.

"Oh yes, in fact, I haven't introduced myself to her yet," the hooded man said and stood up. He approached Sora. He took off his hood and looked at her in the eye.

"My name is Loki. You are?" Loki asked. Sora couldn't reply at that moment. She was too busy saying stuff to herself. _He's really handsome…with orange hair and that disarming smile of his… _Sora thought.

"Oh right, I'm Sora Hayashi," Sora said introducing herself.

"Nice to meet you, Sora Hayashi. This is my sister Madeline," Loki said introducing his sister.

"Hello, I'm Madeline," Madeline said.

"Is this your sister?" Sora asked.

"Yes, my one and only sibling," Loki said.

"Oh…well nice meeting you, Madeline" Sora said. Madeline just grinned.

"Elder brother, exactly, how did you two meet without even introducing yourselves?" Madeline asked curiously.

"It's a long story, Madeline. Besides, you couldn't understand it because you're still too young," said Loki.

"But I'm 12!" Madeline shouted.

"Yes, you are. And 12 is an awfully small number, isn't that right, Sora?" Loki asked.

"Uh…yes…I guess so," Sora said.

"See! You're way too young," Loki said.

"No, I'm not!" Madeline shouted a lot louder this time. The maid in charge of her while they're parents was gone, heard her shout loudly and came rushing to Madeline. When she arrived, she saw Madeline and Loki bickering loudly. She immediately approached them.

"Silence!" the maid shouted. To Sora's surprise, they both stopped bickering and stood still and silent. _But she's just a maid. If I were them, I wouldn't stop_. Sora thought.

"Prince Loki! Princess Madeline!" a maid in her late 20s with neatly done bluish hair said. "You two are behaving like a bunch of rascals! You two know better than I about being princes and princesses so please, apply what you have learned. If the king and the queen know about this, the least they shall do is put you in the dungeon. Now come, Princess Madeline. We have a lot to learn about posture, etiquette, and poise, am I not mistaken?" the maid asked.

"Yes, Mistress Jacquelyn," Madeline said grumpily and stooped.

"What did I say about proper posture?" Jacquelyn asked austerely. Madeline immediately corrected her posture and then heard her brother laugh. Madeline was about to say something insulting when Jacquelyn put her arm around her shoulder and gave her a sermon about proper posture. Instead, Madeline showed her fist to her brother and nodded to every word Jacquelyn was saying. But during her sermon, Jacquelyn paused, noticing the girl standing nearby watching them.

"Who is she?" Jacquelyn asked opening her fan and fanning herself with it.

"She is my guest. You have nothing to do with her," Loki said. Jacquelyn raised a brow.

"Very well," Jacquelyn said and continued her sermon to Madeline. Soon, her voice could not be heard anymore.

"Who was she?" Sora asked looking in the direction where Jacquelyn and Madeline set off to.

"She's the mistress-in-charge. She's the one who takes care of us while our parents are gone. She's very strict and you could never talk back at her or else she'll hit you with her stick and then give you a sermon about behavior and stuff like that," Loki said.

"Well, she sure is a pain in the neck," Sora said.

"I totally agree with you. Actually, her name isn't Jacquelyn. It's Hinamori. And sometimes, if I and Madeline are alone, we call her Hinamoron. She just changed her name because her former classmates used to tease her Hinamoron. She hides that from everybody but we know about it," Loki said.

"How did you find out?" Sora asked.

"We sneaked into her room and read her diary without getting caught," Loki said.

"Slick," Sora said. Loki smiled. "Wait, why did she call you and Madeline prince and princess?" Sora asked.

"Well, that's sort of secret," Loki said.

"Come on. You could trust me with secrets," Sora said.

"Okay, if you insist," Loki said with a bit of hesitation. Sora felt an air of excitement. "Actually, we only call ourselves that if we are alone. We never address ourselves in public with those words because of a huge probability of a coup. You see, we are highly skilled assassins who are hired for every sort of killing, big or small and we do not want people to kill us all together. We are also very rich and royal blood runs through our veins as you could see in our castle. I'm afraid that's all I could tell you. All else are top secret," Loki said.

"That's fine. I already know the reason…Prince Loki," Sora said smirking.

"Please, just call me Loki," Loki said.

"Sure, Loki. I just hope that you're not going to kill me, right?" Sora asked.

"Oh no, of course not," Loki said. "Now, I shall give you a tour around our castle. I wouldn't want you to get lost around here. May I?" Loki asked.

"Permission granted," Sora replied being all formal because of the fact that they're royalty. Loki led her to a couple of dazzling rooms adorned with every sort of gold and silver there is. Loki opened a door and Sora saw dozens of weapons and a huge battle ground in the middle.

"You have your own battle ground?" Sora asked amazed.

"Yes, we use this place for training," Loki said. And for fun," he added. Sora picked up a sword and she brandished it.

"Would you like to use the battle grounds now?" asked Loki. Sora looked at him.

"Now? For what?" asked Sora.

"Sword fighting," answered Loki. "It seems like you could handle one."

"Yeah, I could handle one but not that well," Sora said pausing a bit. "I bet my friends back at Fairy Tail could handle this better than I can."

"So you're a part of the Fairy Tail guild?" Loki asked.

"Yes," Sora said and showed her insignia on the back of her hand concealed by her glove.

"I've heard of it. I hear there are really good wizards and mages there," Loki said. "You must be one of them."

"No, I'm just new," Sora said.

"If you're new, why did you decide to leave too early?" asked Loki.

"I already told you the reason," Sora said giving him a look. Loki winced.

"Yes, I have recalled it just now," Loki said. "It must have hurt badly."

"Yes, it has," Sora said, her voice turning to an almost whisper. "That's exactly the reason why I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh yes, sorry about that," Loki said. "Now, since you're new, you probably need some training."

"I guess so," Sora said. "I only have telepathic powers. I'm not really experienced with the whole sword fighting stuff."

"Then, we shall train. Pick a sword," Loki said gesturing to a couple of swords that were lying on a cabinet. Sora thought about which sword she should pick. She picked up one sword but the blade was slightly rusted. She hastily put it down. Then, she laid eyes on yet another sword. She attempted to pick it up but it was much too heavy for her. She tried a couple of other swords but none seemed to fill her taste. When she was about to give up, she saw the most beautiful sword she has ever seen. The blade was polished very well that it gleamed. The hilt was adorned with Amethyst gemstones. Sora picked it up like she didn't even care. She brandished it and liked it a lot. After all, Amethyst was her birthstone.

"I choose this sword!" Sora exclaimed while holding it high up in the air. Loki smiled.

"A very good choice," Loki said. "After all, it is my grandmother's."

"Oh, I didn't mean to—

"It's okay. My grandmother is dead now. And that sword is her bestfriend during battles. She was immensely skilled in using it from the very first day that she held it…when she was 8 years old," Loki said. Sora's eyes sparkled in amazement. "That sword was made in Europe. My great grandmother bought it from a traveling merchant and it cost her fortune but she didn't mind. She gave it to my grandmother on her 8th birthday which is on February. The very reason for having bought that sword is because the birthstone for February is Amethyst and my grandmother was born on the 21st of February," Loki explained. Sora was shocked. She thought that that sword was destined for her because she was also born on February.

"Well, I'm born on February the 22nd," Sora said.

"That's good. It means that you are fit to use that sword," Loki said. "Now, there are certain rules in choosing your own sword. Once you have chosen your sword, it shall be yours for eternity. You can never forsake it in place of another sword. Do you understand?" Loki asked.

"Yes," Sora replied.

"Raise your right hand," Loki ordered. Sora did as she was told. "Now, repeat after me. I…," Loki said gesturing Sora to repeat what he had just said.

"I, Sora Hayashi…," Sora repeated.

"…vow that from this day forth, I shall never forsake this sword and I shall use it as a means of battle for eternity," Loki said.

"…vow that from this day forth, I shall never forsake this sword and I shall use it as a means of battle for eternity," Sora repeated.

"Now, hold your sword tightly and make sure that once I hit it, it doesn't fall off your hands," Loki said. Sora was about to nod when Loki suddenly hit her sword. Sora got thrown back by the force of the blow and the sword almost got blown away.

"Hey, I wasn't ready!" Sora shouted.

"You always have to be ready," Loki said and aimed his sword at Sora. Sora used her own sword to deflect it. Loki gave another forceful attack. Sora deflected it once more. Sora received blow after blow from Loki and she was getting tired of it. She decided to give off her own attack. She put all her force into her sword and aimed for Loki. Loki deflected it too but was shocked at Sora's strength.

"That's what I wanted to see!" Loki shouted and aimed for her again. Their swords clashed and loud clashing could be heard throughout the castle. Mistress Jacquelyn heard all the clashing and paused from tutoring Madeline. She went over to the battle grounds with her skirt rustling behind her. Jacquelyn gave explicit instructions to Madeline and that is, to practice walking about with a book on her head. But Madeline wanted to know what was going on so she sneakily followed Jacquelyn. She hid behind every column there was and hastily went over to the next until she reached the battle grounds. Her head popped out of the door and she watched. She saw Jacquelyn scolding Loki and Sora for training without her permission.

"Prince Loki, you know exactly why you should ask for my permission. And as for you, Miss…?" Jacquelyn asked, not knowing Sora's name yet.

"Sora," Sora replied.

"Yes, Miss Sora, I will fill you in on some of the certain rules that I have applied here," Jacquelyn said. Sora and Loki stood still without having said a word. "You must ask for my permission because whatever happens to you here will all be weighed down on me. And if the king and queen see their son harmed, they will put the blame on me for not taking good _care _of them. I believe you now know the consequences, Miss Sora?"

"Yes, ma'am," Sora said.

"Address me as Mistress not ma'am!" Jacquelyn scolded her.

"Yes, Mistress Jacquelyn," Sora said again.

"Good. Now put those swords back and attend to your duties, Prince Loki," Jacquelyn said and looked at Sora. "And please welcome your guest to our humble abode." She went away with a sudden whisk. Madeline saw her heading for the door so she dashed for the room where she was supposed to be at the moment. She decided to take the route she used to get there but there was a huge risk that Jacquelyn would see her and scold her for leaving the room and disobeying her. Instead, she took an opposite route which led to the back. There, she would just jump inside the window. Madeline disappeared in a brief moment without Jacquelyn hearing her loud footsteps.

"Aww...we were having so much fun!" Sora whined.

"Yes, we were. And I almost beat you," Loki said.

"No! I almost beat you," Sora answered back.

"Okay fine, I'll let you rest tonight knowing that you won today's battle but don't be so confident that you'll win the next," Loki said. Sora nodded. "Now, let us continue the tour, shall we?"

"Sure," Sora replied. They went out of the battle grounds and into a huge chamber sitting in the heart of the castle. Loki pushed the doors aside. Sora looked inside but it was too dark for her to see anything. Loki had carried a torch with him and used it to light up one torch in the front. Once he had lit it up, all the others followed up to the end of the chamber. Loki gestured for Sora to go in first. Sora took a step inside. Loki followed her. What she saw truly amazed her and filled her with excitement. There were 5 chairs in front of the chamber and each of them was made from solid gold. The chairs sparkled because of the gems that were embedded in it.

"This is a throne room, isn't it?" Sora asked.

"Yes," Loki replied.

"And those are the thrones right over there?" Sora asked again.

"Yes," Loki replied. "Each throne is for the king, the queen, the prince, and the princess."

"I see. But why are there 5 thrones? It's supposed to be only 4 since it's only the king, the queen, the prince, and the princess, right?" Sora asked curiously.

"Let me explain. The throne in the middle is the king's throne while the one next to it is the queen's throne. The one next to the queen's throne is the princess's throne while the one next to the king's throne is the prince's throne and the one next to the prince's throne will be for the girl I shall marry in the future," Loki said.

"Ooohh…" Sora cooed. "So, have you found the girl that will be sitting there yet?"

"Actually…" Loki said. "…not yet."

Sora nodded. "It's hard to look for your one true love," Sora said. "But do you really want to get married?"

"Well, not entirely," Loki replied.

"Why not?" Sora asked. "It's fun to be spending your whole life with someone whom you really love and cherish the rest of your life with her, right?"

"Well, I have several reasons…" Loki said. "…which are secret."

"Come on," Sora said. "Tell me."

"Nah," Loki said. "You've known way too many secrets."

"But I told you you could trust me, right?" asked Sora.

"Fine," Loki said. "There was a curse laid on me by an evil witch."

"A curse? What does that have to do with getting married and finding true love?" Sora asked.

"You see, a witch named Karenbana laid a curse on me because I was unfaithful to her. She was actually an old hag who disguised herself as a very beautiful princess who came here to deliver an important message from her family. Because she was very beautiful, I fell for her. But as soon as I found out her little secret, I left her. Therefore, she cast a curse on me and hid away my true form. And I can only break the curse if I ever find true love," Loki said.

"Uh-huh," Sora said. "And she didn't even tell you how to find her?"

"Well, she only gave me one clue. She also said that if I don't find her soon, I'll be locked away in this form forever. She also said something about love blossoming from within. Do you know what that means?" Loki asked.

"It means inner love. You have to love that person for who she is and not just her appearance," Sora explained.

"I see…" Loki said.

"Now, what was that clue?" Sora asked.

"Oh yes, the clue," Loki said. "She said the girl was a blonde. And considering that you're a blonde…"

"No way," Sora said. Loki laughed.

"I was just joking," Loki said. "Calm down."

Sora relaxed a bit. She really thought Loki meant what he had just said. "So, where are we going to go to next?" Sora asked.

"Maybe upstairs," Loki said. "Come on."

Sora hastily followed him. _I know that this is really strange, but can I be really that girl he was talking about?_ Sora thought.


	9. Chapter 9 Bond of Frienship

Chapter 9 Bond of Friendship

The guild was busy as usual. Everyone was bustling with excitement as the day began. The sun had almost risen and it was still quite chilly. Despite the cold, everyone was wearing their biggest smiles and was feeling good. Erza just returned to the guild after finishing a successful mission. But no one could help noticing that Sora has been missing for a few weeks. And the reason why came as a mystery to them.

"You know, I'm starting to become a bit suspicious about Sora's absence," Akane said. "It's like she just disappeared in thin air."

"And she didn't even bother to say goodbye," Natsu said. "It's been weeks since she's been gone."

"Natsu, people who disappear in thin air don't say goodbye," Akane pointed out.

"Who cares? I just wanted her to say goodbye before she disappeared so we won't be wondering here like a bunch of fools," Natsu said.

"You just don't understand how it works, Natsu. You see, if people dis—

"Now is not the time for you two to be arguing!" Erza shouted. Natsu and Akane immediately kept silent. "We should be focusing more on her whereabouts and what had happened to her."

Everyone formed a circle on the floor and discussed about Sora's whereabouts. While everyone was discussing, Gray stayed outside of the circle; not listening to everything they were talking about. After hearing enough about Sora and what had happened to her, he stood up and proceeded to leave.

Erza took charge of the discussion and she happened to notice Gray leave the guild. "Where do you think you're going, Fullbuster Gray?" Erza asked sternly.

"Home," Gray answered.

"You weren't much of help at all," Erza said. "You didn't even at least try to help."

Gray just ignored her and proceeded to leave the guild but Akane caught up with him. By the time she did, they were already farther outside.

"Gray!" Akane shouted. She had to shout because Gray was too far away. She did catch up with him but he walked a little faster which created a short distance between them.

Gray turned around and saw Akane walking hastily towards him. Then, Gray smiled.

"Hey, Akane," Gray said. "Why did you follow me?"

"I just wanted to ask you a question before you leave completely," Akane answered him.

"Ask anything," Gray said.

Akane grasped her shoulder—the one that got injured during her battle with Erza which was starting to heal and twisted it around slowly because the healing stage hurts a little bit.

"Does your shoulder still hurt?" asked Gray.

"Yeah..." Akane said. "…but it's healing anyway."

"Good," Gray said.

Then, Gray pulled out something from his shirt pocket.

"Here," Gray said. "I was planning to give this to you. They say it helps in the healing process."

It was a necklace with a blue jewel for a pendant. Gray knew that Akane adored any shade of blue. Gray put it around Akane's neck and locked it.

"Thanks, Gray," Akane said as she held the pendant in her hand and studied it. "It looks beautiful. And the color of the pendant is also my favorite."

Gray smiled. "Nah, that was nothing," he said. "Now, what was that question you were going to ask me?"

"Oh, yeah," Akane said. "Might you know where Sora is?"

Gray was taken by surprise. The reason why he escaped the guild was so that he couldn't be asked those kinds of questions.

"Uhmm…no," Gray said.

After hearing his reply, Akane immediately looked crestfallen. Gray didn't want anyone to know about what happened between him and Sora at his house, especially Akane. But he just couldn't deny Akane, especially since she looked really downcast.

"But I do know why she left…I think," Gray said.

Akane's face immediately lit up. This is her bestfriend involved and she'll do whatever it takes to find her.

"Really? Tell me! Tell me!" Akane said eager to find out.

Gray hesitated a bit. Akane was apparently involved in this matter and Gray didn't want Akane to know that she was one of the main reasons why Sora left.

"Well…uhmmm…I..." Gray said stuttering.

"So…what happened to her?" Akane asked not able to keep her patience.

"Well…it happened this way…Sora confessed to me a couple of nights ago but I denied her," Gray said not giving Akane the full details.

"And what did she confess?" Akane asked.

Gray hesitated to say a word but Akane looked at him imploringly which made him give in.

"Well…she told me that she likes me a lot but I told her that I liked another girl," Gray said being cautious.

"Hmmm…strange. Sora would never leave just because she knew that the person she really likes liked someone else. It's not like her. It means that the person you said you liked was really close to her," Akane said. "Would you please tell me who it was?"

Gray hesitated once more.

"Please," Akane pleaded.

"Ok…" Gray said.

"I told her that I like...you..." Gray said blushing and he turned his gaze away from Akane.

"Wha-?" Akane said stunned. She stared at Gray with a dazed look.

Suddenly, Gray held Akane's hand tenderly. Akane was still a bit dazed and she got dazed even more when Gray held her hand.

"Akane...you may not know this but...I love you a lot!" Gray confessed. Akane was still a bit dazed but she quickly snapped out of it.

"Gray...I-I don't know what to say..." Akane said. "...but we can't be together."

Akane immediately pulled her hand out of Gray's grasp. Her hand slipped away and Gray stood there dumbfounded.

"You know what Gray...I also love you a lot but that was before. I've moved on now and I love you a lot as a friend and as a fellow guild member. And I've finally moved on with Natsu...that's why we can't be together," Akane said. "And I can't believe that I was the reason why Sora left!"

Akane was shocked, frustrated, mad, and surprised all at the same time. And Gray was too.

"But...do you remember all those times we had together? The good, the happy, and sad? Those memories are all still imprinted in my head and they always will be. You can't just forget those," Gray said.

Akane faced the ground. Suddenly, tears started to fall from her eyes. Gray could hear her sobbing quietly.

"I miss you Gray," Akane said and suddenly hugged Gray. "I miss all those fun moments we had and when you taught me how to play a piano and stuff. Above all, I miss the friendship we used to share..."

Akane hugged Gray tighter and cried a bit more. Gray was shocked but hugged her back.

"Akane..." Gray said and hugged her tightly.

Then, Akane pulled away from Gray. She wiped away her tears and looked at him straight in the eye with an irresistibly cute angel-like look which made Gray's heart melt.

"Gray, I really, really miss you...but that extra special friendship could never be mended. We'll stay as good friends but not bestfriends...I'm still mad...but not at you...but at myself...for hurting my bestfriend..." Akane's voice trailed off and then she started crying again.

"But you weren't the one who hurt her...I did!" Gray shouted. "There's no need for you to hate yourself."

Akane felt somehow comforted by Gray's words. But her anger and sadness quickly went back.

"I wish you just hated me altogether!" Akane shouted and ran away from Gray.

"Akane!" Gray called but Akane refused to turn back. She kept on running into the direction of her house.

"Akane..." Gray said. "...I miss you, too."

Meanwhile, Akane kept on running towards the direction of her house. When she had already arrived, she immediately lied down on her bed, clutched the pillows, and cried there. After she was finished sobbing, she sat up and recalled the memories she shared with Gray. Then, she began crying again. She faced the floor and then noticed the necklace Gray gave her which was dangling on her neck. She gently held the necklace.

"I miss you a lot, Gray," Akane said and erased all the memories that were still in her head about Gray.

**Meanwhile...**

"It's been two weeks...they're probably looking for me..." Sora said to herself and looked at the insignia of Fairy Tail imprinted on the back of her hand. "...and the guild's insignia looks pale...like it's fading."

Sora brushed her long blonde hair and washed up. She noticed that Madeline was still sleeping soundly.

"She sure is a heavy sleeper," Sora said.

They currently shared a room together but on different beds. Loki said that they should so that they could know each other better since they were both girls. It was fine for the both of them anyway. She went out to the balcony and stared at the beauty of nature.

"I wish I could know what is going on in the guild," Sora said. "Oh yeah, I could. Silly me."

Sora closed her eyes and concentrated. Then, images began flashing in her mind. She saw everyone forming a huge circle and was talking.

"I wish I could hear what they're saying..." Sora said. "...but sadly, I couldn't."

Then, the images shifted and showed another image. Sora then saw Akane crying in her room.

"My bestfriend...I wish I was still there in the guild with you. But if I am, something really bad might happen to you because of me," Sora said. Suddenly, she felt a pang. She missed her bestfriend and Fairy Tail a lot. But she ignored it and tried to find out why Akane was crying.

The images shifted again. The next image she saw was Gray and Akane talking. Then she saw Gray place a beautiful necklace around Akane's neck. Next, Gray held Akane's hand but she withdrew it. Sooner or later, Akane was hugging Gray. Then, she saw Akane run away crying. Then, Sora saw Gray say something. She followed the way his mouth moved with her own. After knowing what he said, Sora clutched her shirt. She was still kind of jealous at Akane. She doesn't want to admit it, but she misses Gray, too.

"I miss you, Gray," Sora said. "If only my bestfriend wasn't involved, I could've let this matter pass me."

"So, who's this Gray guy I've been hearing about?" a voice asked.

Sora was startled and immediately jerked. The images disappeared in her mind as she turned around to face the place where the voice came from.

"Oh, it's just you, Madeline," Sora said relieved.

"Yeah, it's just me. Now tell me who this Gray guy is," Madeline ordered. Sora kept her mouth shut. But, Madeline kept on tugging on her sleeve and she really annoyed Sora so she decided to speak up.

"Okay, okay, fine," Sora said. Madeline gave her a triumphant grin.

"Gray is the guy...I really liked but I found out that he liked my bestfriend. And that's why I ran away because I might hurt my bestfriend out of jealousy," Sora said.

"Oohh," Madeline said. "If I were you, I would've smacked my bestfriend right in the head."

Sora chuckled. "I could never do that," she said.

"You couldn't but I could," Madeline said. Sora rolled her eyes. She then exited the room and went over to the huge dining hall. She had to be escorted by one of the maids since she doesn't know her way around yet. The maid pushed the doors open and gestured for Sora to enter. Sora entered and saw Loki. Loki welcomed her in and offered for her to take a seat. Loki sat at the end of the long, long table while Sora sat in the opposite direction.

"Where is my annoying little sister?" Loki asked.

"She's still in her—I mean our room," Sora said. Loki always corrected her whenever she uses the words _her room_ since he said that she's already a part of their family and he wants Sora to feel like their castle is really her home.

"Very well, we shall have breakfast without her for today," Loki said. With a flick of his fingers, dozens of maids came running towards the huge long table in the middle of the dining hall carrying various types of silverware with them. They placed the food on the table, the plates, and all kinds of spoons, forks, and knives that Sora doesn't know how to use yet.

As soon as everything was in place, the maids disappeared around the back of the dining hall. Loki placed a napkin on his lap and then he began eating. He told Sora to do so too. But even if Sora wanted to, she could not. Because there were so many spoons, and knives, and forks placed in front of her, she doesn't know which one to use. Loki taught her which one to use yesterday and the day before that but she just keeps on forgetting. So, she just stared at the food. Then, she just noticed roasted chicken staring back at her. Sora's mouth was already watering. Loki noticed that she had a weird craving look in her eyes and yet she didn't eat yet. Loki knew exactly what the problem was. He went over to Sora and sat beside her.

"You don't know how to use those utensils, am I right?" Loki asked.

"What are you saying? Of course I do!" Sora lied.

"You can't fool me. Here, I shall teach you," Loki said. He placed his hand on top of Sora's and directed her hand on whatever utensil was needed. Sora can't stop blushing as Loki held her hand.

"So now do you know how to use these utensils?" Loki asked.

"Uh-huh...kind of," Sora said. Then, they proceeded to eat. They talked about their family, friends, and other stuff as they were eating. As soon as they were finished eating, the maids came back again and collected everything on the table. Then, Loki made an invitation.

"Sora, would you like to go a special secret place with me?" Loki asked.

"Uhh, sure. When?" Sora asked.

"Right now, if it's okay with you," Loki said.

"Okay, sure. I've got nothing else to do. Might as well come with you," Sora said. Loki immediately grabbed her hand and led her outside of the castle. They raced across the trees until they reached a little well. There was also a swing under a tree not far from the well.

"What is this place?" Sora asked as she peered down into the well to check if there was any water in it.

"This is my special secret place when I was a kid," Loki said.

"Really? So what do you do here?" Sora asked as she reached in her pocket.

"I make wishes in that well," Loki said.

"Did they come true?" Sora asked.

"Yes, every single bit of them," Loki said.

"Okay and I'm going to try it," Sora said. After reaching into her pocket, she finally got an old rusty foreign coin that was given by Akane. She held the coin in between her fingers, closed her eyes, and said her wish out loud.

"I wish that Loki would finally find his one true love so that the curse would be lifted and he would return to his true form again," Sora said and threw the coin down the well. _Splash! _The coin hit the water. Loki smiled at Sora for making that wish.

"Now it's my turn to make a wish," Loki said. He took a shiny gold coin from his pocket and closed his eyes. Sora didn't hear what he wished for since he said it silently.

Loki threw the coin inside the well. They waited for any splashing sound that might come. _Plonk!_ The coin had hit the water. Loki was bending down inside the well to see if he can spot the coin he had just thrown.

"It's unfair! You said your wish silently," Sora said. Loki turned around to face her.

"You didn't order me to say it out loud," Loki pointed out.

Sora pouted. "Then just tell me what your wish was."

"I'm not gonna tell you," Loki singsonged.

"No fair!" Sora shouted.

Loki laughed. "Let us ride the swing." He led Sora to the tree where the swing was. The swing was under a huge oak tree. The tree gave away a huge shade for them to be covered by the warm rays of the sun.

"You go first," Loki said. Sora took her place on the swing. She held the sides as Loki began to swing her to and fro.

"This is too slow," Sora said as she yawned. At first, Loki started really slow. Then the speed increased a lot. Sooner or later, the swing began swinging wildly. Sora clutched the sides of the swing to avoid from falling.

"Hey! Get me off of this," Sora shouted. Her voice was not quite audible due to the rapid swinging.

Loki made the swing go a lot faster. "Are you feeling sick already?"

"Not at all," Sora said. But she did want to get out of the swing. She didn't want herself to fly off the swing after all.

"I think it's your turn. Now put me down!" Sora demanded. But Loki kept the swing going on. Sora had to find a way to get off. She stared down on the ground. She noticed that her feet could reach the ground. She immediately dug into the ground with her feet in an attempt to stop the swing. It eventually stopped. Loki stopped it since he knew he couldn't move the swing anymore. Sora quickly got out of it and headed for the well.

"I got out from that swing!" Sora said and stuck her tongue out to Loki. He stuck his tongue back.

"Hey, I thought it's not fit for a prince to be sticking his tongue out to people," Sora said thoughtfully.

"I am a prince...but only inside the castle," Loki said. "I can be whoever I want to be once I'm outside."

Sora thought for a moment. Loki really isn't a prince once he's outside. She noticed that his all so formal tone and language vanished. "Okay..." Sora said and leaned with her back against the well. "...I guess it's fine once you're outside. I don't know any of this royalty stuff anyway." Sora shifted her full weight on the well.

"Hey, it's not good for you to be leaning on that well," Loki said. "You might fall."

"I don't ca—

"Sora!" Loki shouted. He tried to grab her but he was already too late. She fell down inside the well. Loki heard a loud splash and wondered if Sora drowned.

"Hey! Are you alright?" Loki asked as he looked inside the well. There was no reply. Loki started to get worried. Sooner or later, Loki heard loud short gasps.

"Sora! Are you okay down there?!" Loki shouted. Then, he heard more loud gasps.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Sora shouted back. "It's just a little dark in here."

"Stay right there!" Loki shouted to her. "I'll think of something to do to get you out of there."

"Okay!" Sora said. "It's not like I have anywhere else to go." Sora scanned the well. The well was quite wide. It was wide enough for her to swim around. Also, the water was cold and she was freezing. She touched the sides of the well. It was cold and damp. There were also vines. She also caught hold of some weird substance. _Seaweed? Moss? _It was hard to tell. Sora stayed there for a couple of minutes but she felt no fear. _What could possibly happen to me here?_ She felt so glad that she knows how to swim and float or else she might have already drowned. Sora thought of some way to get herself out of the well. Then, she tried climbing out of the well. She placed her foot on a firm foothold and placed her right hand on the vine nearest to her. She leaped up and clung to the vine. As soon as she took hold of the vine, it pricked her. The vines had thorns. But there was no other way so she clung to the vine and wriggled to the top. Even if the thorns had pricked her and dug into her skin, she kept on going. Soon, she could already see the faintest hint of light. It gave her a leap of hope. But the vines were really wet. One wrong move could send her back to the bottom. She continued to wriggle to the top. She placed her left hand in front of her to grasp the vine but it had really sharp thorns.

"Oww!" Sora said and let go because of the pain. She quickly fell back to the bottom of the well. She was unscathed but the wounds the thorns left stung a lot. She squeezed her hand to squeeze out the blood because she might have an infection.

"Stay calm, Sora," she said to herself. "Loki will come sooner or later." She waited but he never came. Sora found no way to get out. She felt like she was going to die in that well.

Something had hit Sora's head. She immediately rubbed the part which got hit. After the pain went away, she searched whatever fell into the well with her hands. Then, she got hold of a small wooden bucket.

"Sora!" Loki called.

Sora was so relieved upon hearing someone's voice. "I'm here! Is that you, Loki?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's me. I just dropped a bucket in there. Use it to get out!" Loki shouted. Inside, Loki's voice echoed but Sora could hear him perfectly.

"Okay!" Sora shouted. She took good hold of the bucket. Soon, she was being hauled up.

Sora squinted at the top and saw light. Soon, she was out of the well. She was dripping wet as she jumped out and then she saw Loki sweating really hard. She squeezed all the water out from her clothes. Blood was still oozing out from her cuts.

"Thank you, Loki," Sora said. "If only I wasn't wet, I probably could've hugged you by now." Sora smiled at him. Loki smiled back. He felt glad that Sora was safe.

Sora suddenly fell down. She was too weak to stand up because of the cuts she acquired. Loki immediately rushed beside her.

"Are you alright?" Loki asked. Then he noticed all the cuts Sora had all over her body. "What happened to you?!"

Sora couldn't bring herself up to speak. She could only say one word. "Thorns." Loki did not understand what she meant by that so she communicated with him through her mind. Loki was kind of shocked after hearing Sora's voice in his head. Sora explained to him what had happened. Sora was half-conscious that time. Before she lost her consciousness, she felt herself being carried by Loki. Just as her eyes were about to close, she heard Loki say something.

"Don't worry. I'm here by your side. I'll protect you," Loki said. _Protect me?_ Sora said in her head. Then everything suddenly went blank.


	10. Chapter 10 Doctor

Chapter 10 Doctor

Sora stirred. She opened one eye. She found herself lying down on an unfamiliar room. Sunrise had just occurred and a little sunlight had hit her face. She slowly sat up. As soon as she did, pain washed through her body. She was forced to lie back down.

"Where…" Sora could not bring herself to speak. Even as she spoke, pain was felt throughout her body. _Where am I?_ She scanned the room. The room she was in was huge and a little sunlight seeped through the crystal clear windows. The room was quite pretty and was painted with an olive color of some kind. There were also a few other beds next to hers.

Sora thought that she had just woken up. She still had that sticky feeling in your mouth once you wake up and she kept on yawning once in a while. _Why does my body hurt so badly?_ Sora tried sitting up again. This time she succeeded. She even managed to stand up. She walked around the room for a while. She touched the wall with her index finger. Then she noticed cuts all over her arms. She immediately looked all over her body and noticed cuts all over her arms and legs. There was a huge mirror sitting at the corner of the room. She immediately rushed to it. Sora couldn't believe what she was seeing. Cuts were all over her body even on her face. Some dug really deep into her skin. Just as she was about to touch a cut on her face, a deep surge of pain was felt throughout her whole body again. Then everything went blurry. She couldn't see anything clearly and it seemed like her head was spinning in a wild Ferris wheel. She fell down on the cold hard floor. Face against the floor, she tried moving a finger but she couldn't. She felt limp and weak. She tried to cry for help but she could not speak. She opened her mouth but it gave to more pain. She waited until someone would arrive and take care of her. A minute seemed to pass like a century. Then, Sora heard footsteps walking towards the door of her room. A wave of hope immediately washed over her. Suddenly, the door flung open. Sora tried to see who it was but she couldn't move her head.

"Sora!" Sora heard a male voice say. The man quickly rushed beside her and carefully carried her in his arms.

"Loki, is that you?" Sora said. Her vision was still blurry at the moment and she can't determine who it is. And she could finally move her jaw but only for a few sentences.

"Yes, it is I. How on earth did you get on the floor?" Loki said as he carefully placed Sora on the bed.

"I…I…" Sora couldn't continue on speaking.

"It's alright. You need not say anything. You probably can't move your jaw," Loki said. He guessed correctly.

Loki ran his fingers through Sora's soft silky hair. Sora liked it. Loki's fingers were really soothing.

"I shall go for now but I shall be back soon," Loki said.

"Don't…go…" Sora said with all her remaining energy.

"Don't worry. I shall be back soon. And I shall come back with something that will make you feel better," Loki said. As Loki was about to close the door, he waved Sora goodbye and shut it tight.

Sora sighed. _I'm alone again…_ Suddenly Sora felt a tingling sensation. Then she felt excruciating pain run up through her body again. She tried to bear it as much as possible but it was too painful. She clutched the blanket tightly in her hands and bit her lip. Sooner or later, Loki arrived with a small bottle filled with red orange fluid.

"Are you alright, Sora? What are you feeling?" Loki asked obviously worried.

Sora could not bring herself to speak. Sweat trickled down her temples. Loki abruptly wiped them off.

"Don't worry, Sora. You'll be fine once you drink this," Loki said.

Sora opened her mouth a little. Loki made the bottle lean just enough for a few drops of the fluid to drop into her mouth. Then, three small drops came out. Sora swallowed it.

"Eww! That stuff tastes bad!" Sora blurted out. Loki couldn't blame her on that.

"I know it does. But the taste would remain only until you get well," Loki said.

"Great," Sora said sarcastically. Then, Sora realized that she could already talk well and the pain was gone now. She could even see clearly now. She saw that Loki wore a blue shirt that had a picture of a lion on it and some jeans. _That's unlikely…I've never seen a prince wear a shirt and jeans before...but there's still something so regal about his look…something so handsome…_

"But I have to say that that thingy you made me drink does work," Sora said. "The pain is gone a bit."

Loki grinned. "That's good."

"Where am I anyway?" Sora asked curiously.

"You're in the infirmary. This place is quite far away from the main part of the castle," Loki said.

_No wonder I don't know this place. I've never even been here before, _Sora thought. She sunk back on her pillow and stared at the ceiling. But she felt quite uneasy because Loki kept on staring at her.

Sora turned to stare at him. "Why do you have to keep on staring at me?!"

"No reason," Loki said. "Well, maybe it's because you're really beautiful."

Sora blushed. A guy had never said anything like that to her before. She pretended to ignore him and just stared at the ceiling. Sooner or later, the door opened. Madeline entered. She had suspected that something was going on at the other side of their very huge castle. That is why she came there. She was still wearing a long velvet nightgown and was still hugging her teddy bear around her right arm. She kept on rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"What's going on here?" She asked rubbing her left eye.

"Sora is healing, my dear sister, so please leave for her to get well earlier because I know that all you'll do is babble about how many moles you have all over your body," Loki said insulting her.

As soon as Madeline heard Loki say that Sora was sick, she bolted out of the door and returned a moment later wearing a nurse's uniform—complete with that clipboard nurses usually carry around with them.

"If she is sick, then I shall be her nurse!" Madeline exclaimed wild with enthusiasm.

"That won't be necessary, little sister. I'm here to take care of her," Loki said coolly.

"You can't be the one to take care of her since I know that you'll just babble about how handsome you are," Madeline mocked.

"You're a real pain," Loki said. "But I love you." Madeline gave them a huge wide grin. She came out of the room a second later and then came back with her usual clothes.

"Fine, I'll let you play doctor for a while," Madeline said clutching her teddy bear firmly. "But if her current situation worsens, then I'll be forced to fire you, Doctor Loki. Understand?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Loki said. Then Madeline marched out of the infirmary. Her footsteps can still be heard from a distance.

"You're sister is really annoying…but you love her. That's so sweet," Sora said teasing him.

Loki immediately blushed. "That's only to my sister." Sora gave him a look that says, "I don't believe you."

"So then, why are you playing doctor and being so nice to me?" Sora asked.

Loki shrugged. "I guess that's my nature."

"See! You really are sweet!" Sora exclaimed. Loki turned away so that Sora wouldn't see him blush again.

Loki abruptly changed the topic. "Well then, you must be really hungry. Let me get something for you to eat." Sora was about to reject but Loki was already out of the door. _Wow…breakfast in bed…the royal treatment..._ Sora decided to wash up. She must look like a real mess and she didn't want Loki to see her in that state again.

She slowly sat up and got out of bed. She found a bathroom at the end of the infirmary. She carefully placed a toe on the solid damp floor. "Cold!" she shouted as she jerked her toe away. Nevertheless, she stepped inside. She gingerly approached the sink. She found a cup in one of the drawers and filled it with tap water. Then she gargled and removed the gunk off her eyes. She passed her fingers through her hair and used it as a comb to get all the tangles off. "Much better!" Sora exclaimed as she stared at the mirror. Sooner or later, she sighed because of the cuts all over her body. Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching the room. Immediately, she ran back to her bed and lied down on the pillows with ease. The liquid Loki made her drink worked like a charm.

Loki came inside with a tray filled with hot steaming soup, ravioli, and a piece of bread. "Breakfast in bed for my patient," Loki said. He set the tray on Sora's bed. "Eat up," Loki said. Sora slowly sat up. Loki helped her sit up straight thinking that she still couldn't support herself much. Sora almost laughed thinking that Loki still thought she was not feeling okay.

Sora took the spoon and scooped up a spoonful of the soup. She blew it really hard so that it wouldn't burn her tongue once she ate it. She took a little sip just to make sure that it wasn't too hot. It wasn't. She gulped down the remaining soup left on the spoon.

"This soup is awesome!" Sora exclaimed. "What is it made of?"

Loki grinned. "It's a family recipe passed on from generation to generation. And of course it's secret so no telling."

Sora sighed. But she didn't want to know anyway. It was really tasty to her tongue. Then, she tried the ravioli. It also tasted really good. Sora finished everything on the tray.

"You made all this?" Sora asked while chewing down her food.

"Of course…except for the bread. I believe you like what you have eaten?" Loki inquired.

Sora choked down the food. "Yeah, I do!"

Loki smiled. "I'm glad you like it. Now, is the bad taste of the liquid that I made you drink still there?"

Sora drank some water first. "A little bit."

Loki's smile turned wider. "That is great. You'll be better in days."

Then Sora decided to bring her question up. "What happened to me anyway? Why do I have lots of cuts all over my body? And why does my body hurt a lot?"

Loki seemed shocked at her question. He raised a brow. "You honestly don't remember?" Sora just shook her head. "Well, you sort of fell in the wishing well that I showed you and you tried to climb up using the vines that were hanging on the well but those vines had thorns. Then I came and rescued you."

Sora looked doubtful. "Really? Is that what happened? I honestly don't remember a thing…" Sora said as she stared in Loki's eyes.

"Well, you must've had amnesia. They say those vines have poison," Loki said. He immediately looked sad. "I'm sorry for bringing you there."

"Why did you bring me there anyway?" Sora asked.

"Well, I just wanted to show you my secret place," Loki said still looking sad and regretful. "We even rode the swing and you were dying to get off because I was swinging it too hard and then…"

"Please stop. My head hurts and I can't remember anything…" Sora said as she put a hand to her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be cranky. It's just that my head really hurts."

"Don't worry. I understand," Loki said. Realizing that there was nothing else left to do, Loki decided to leave. "Well then, I better get going now. I should leave for you to rest."

"No, please, don't go…" Sora said with her hand still on her head. "I need company…please stay."

"Okay," Loki said. Sora quickly slumped back on her bed. Her head began to hurt a lot and she did want to rest but she doesn't want to be alone after all. "Tell me a story," Sora said weakly. All she wanted to do now was rest but a good story wouldn't hurt.

"Sure…" Loki said. "…but what story do you want me to tell you?"

Sora shrugged. "Tell me anything…as long as it's a good story."

Loki rubbed his chin. He told Sora that he'll be looking for some books to read to her.

**Loki's P.O.V.**

I walked over to a couple of books in my shelf. My parents didn't exactly like reading and so did my sister so I was the only one who had a mini library in my room. Most of the books were for children since most of them had been used to teach Madeline how to read. I remembered that the last time I ever got a book of my own was when I was 10 years old. My parents had been very strict about me obtaining books.

I looked for something suitable for a teenager and I finally found two short books that weren't really for teenagers but it was a good one. I sighed and left my room. The infirmary wasn't quite far. A few turns to my right and a trip down our garden then I was already back at the infirmary.

I carefully turned the doorknob. Sora was waiting for me of course. She was just lying down there with her eyes closed. It almost seemed like she was sleeping but she wasn't. She was just resting. _Like an angel_, I thought as I took a seat next to her on the bed. I was about to tap her on the shoulder, thinking that she fell into an almost nap and didn't sense me come back in the room. Suddenly, she grabbed my wrist and reached for my belly. Before I could reach to stop her hand, she had already tickled me in the belly. I gave out a loud cry followed by a loud cry of laughter.

Sora laughed as tears welled up in my eyes. I wasn't crying because it hurt or I got embarrassed. I got tears in my eyes because of laughter. A tickle in the belly is my weakness, and Sora just found out what it is.

"You're good at pretending you're taking a nap…but I knew you were awake," I said wiping a tear from my right eye using my index finger. I saw her chuckle a bit.

"But you fell for it, didn't you?" Sora asked with a really annoying tone.

"I have to admit that you did. But I wasn't that fooled," I said trying to act tough. I am a huge softie and that was the truth. Especially towards girls. But I try to hide it with a tough outer exterior of manly toughness. People don't usually notice the gentle-sweet side of me. Unless we were really close. And I was getting a huge suspicion that me and Sora were getting to just that.

"Oh really?" Sora asked. "Then why did you shout like I took the life out of you?"

I couldn't bring an answer to that. She did give me a good scare and she was good at pretending. I couldn't deny that.

"Now, let's get to that story, shall we?" I asked abruptly changing the topic.

"Wow, talk about changing the subject," Sora said as she sunk back on her pillows with a smirk. "But a good story won't be bad at this time. Go for it."

With her permission, I took the two books out. I picked the one with a young man carrying a lamp in his right hand and running his hand through a treasure chest with the other. He had that amazed and excited look of excitement in his eyes. He must have really liked all the treasure he was beholding. The book was called: Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

I turned the book over to page one. The first page showed a picture of the same young man at the cover pulling a donkey loaded with firewood. I cleared my throat and began reading as Sora closed her eyes.

"Ali Baba and Cassim were brothers. The older one, Cassim, was rich while Ali Baba was very poor.

Ali Baba often went out of town to find firewood to sell in the market. One day, while in the country, he heard a rumbling sound. He immediately hid in a bush. A band of forty thieves rode up and stopped nearby."

I paused for a minute and stared at Sora. She was closing her eyes but she was still awake. _She shall be asleep soon_, I thought as I flipped the page. The next page showed some thieves entering a cave. I cleared my throat and continued reading.

"The leader went up to a rocky cliff and shouted, "Open Sesame!" Then, a secret door opened. The men carried sacks and boxes into the cave. Before they rode away, their leader cried, "Close Sesame!" and the door shut with a crash.

Ali Baba ran up to the cliff and said, "Open Sesame!" Inside he saw that it was filled with treasure! There were gold coins everywhere! Gold goblets, gold jewelry, everything was made of gold! Without a second thought, he took a sack of gold coins with him.

The next day, Ali Baba borrowed a pot from Cassim's wife to divide up the coins he took yesterday. Cassim wanted to find out what his brother was measuring so he put some honey inside the pot. When the pot came back, there was a gold coin stuck inside.

Cassim made Ali Baba tell him all about the gold coins and the forty thieves' cave. Cassim immediately made his way to the forty thieves' cave. He said the secret password and the opening of the cave opened. Soon, he heard a loud bang and the opening closed. He went inside and saw that it was filled with treasure just as what his younger brother told him. He took a few sacks of gold home but when it was time to leave, he forgot the secret password! Cassim scrambled to get out but it was no use. Soon, the thieves arrived and they cut him to pieces.

Realizing the terrible thing that had happened to his brother when he did not go home, Ali Baba went to the cave and took his dead brother's body with him. He made the village tailor sew Cassim's body before the funeral.

The angry thieves knew that someone has been to their cave and they all agreed to kill him. One of the thieves knows the tailor and the chief paid him to show the place where Ali Baba lived. He marked the door with an X so that he would remember where it was.

Ali Baba's servant girl saw the chief mark the door with an X. Knowing that the chief was up to no good; she decided to mark all the doors in the nearby area with X's. Later that night, when the thieves came to kill Ali Baba, they didn't know which door was his!

Soon, the chief pretended to be an oil seller. He had forty donkeys with him; each with a jar of oil—but in each jar, there was a thief! Ali Baba soon met up with the oil seller and decided to invite him to dinner.

Later, the servant girl went to the kitchen to prepare the dinner. When she opened a jar to check for the oil, she heard a voice. "Is it time?" the voice asked. In a deep voice like the chief's, the servant girl replied, "No, not yet!" The servant girl hurriedly looked into another one of the jars. There was also a thief! She looked into the other jars and realized that her new master and his family were in grave danger. She thought of something fast. She quickly poured hot, boiling oil into each of the jars. It killed them instantly!

When the time came for dinner, the servant girl offered to dance for them. But what they didn't know was that she was actually hiding a knife in her veils. As she danced nearer to him, she took out the knife and killed him with it.

Ali Baba was in shock but the servant girl showed him all the dead thieves. He realized that the servant girl saved their lives!"

_Finally, I'm done!_ I said. I took a long look at Sora. She was already asleep. This time, I'm sure of it. I decided not to read the second book. Besides, what's the use of reading a book to someone when that someone you're reading to is not listening? I gathered the two books and leaned over to Sora. I pulled the blankets up to her shoulders and gave her a long deep kiss on the forehead. I stood up and walked over to the door. As I was about to close it, I whispered something.

"Get well soon, my patient." And I closed the door.

**End of Loki's P.O.V.**

A few minutes after Loki left, Sora turned and sat up. _That was weird_, Sora thought. She put a hand on her forehead—where Loki had kissed her. _Why did he do that?_ She thought as she lied down again. After a while, she finally fell asleep for real.

After taking a really long nap, Sora finally woke up. She yawned quite a few times already before she sat straight. She kept on stretching once in a while. Not knowing what time it was, she took a look at the wall clock to her left. Her eyes widened with disbelief. It was already 6:30 pm! She couldn't believe at how long she had slept. She doesn't know when she had finally fallen asleep. That is why she isn't so sure if she really slept for a long time. All she knew was that she fell asleep again in the morning.

She groaned slightly because eventhough she wanted to go back to sleep she could not. She got out of bed and walked around for a while. She looked out the huge window. It was already dark. The moon hung in the dark night sky. There were a few lights in the garden leading to the huge gate. She could already hear the unseen crickets in the middle of the dark. Between the sounds of the chirping crickets, she heard cries of laughter. She decided to follow the sound. She went through the door of the infirmary and into the hall. She didn't know where she was at that moment but what the hek, she thought. She just kept running towards the sound of laughter. The pain was already gone now and she could already move with ease. She went through another door that leads outside. She took one huge leap for the door and out she was. She lost her footing and landed outside. "Oww," she said as she looked up. She saw an extended hand out to help her. She reached out and took it. As she stood up, she saw Loki holding her hand. Madeline was there peering behind him. There were bikes lying on the ground behind them. Sora guessed they went biking.

"Are you okay, Sora?" Loki asked.

"I'm…" Sora said as she glanced at her unnoticed, grazed, elbow, "okay."

Madeline came in front of them with a worried expression.

"Oneesama," Madeline said, "you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. You shouldn't worry." _Wow…it's the first time she's ever called me "oneesama."_

"You should be in the infirmary resting," Loki said. "Why did you come here?"

Sora shrugged. "I heard cries of laughter and decided to follow that…I guess I was just curious."

Loki nodded. "I better bring you back there. You're not fully healed and I don't want you to collapse in the middle of a conversation."

Sora nodded. "Okay."

Suddenly, Loki lifted her up and carried her in his arms. She didn't object. She was tired after all. As Loki laid her down on the bed, he noticed her grazed elbow.

"You did'nt tell me you had grazed your elbow back there!" he exclaimed—jumping as he saw it. Sora shrugged. Loki shook his head. He pulled her into the bathroom and cleaned her grazed elbow with some soap and water. After that, he looked through the contents of the medicine cabinet for some antiseptic. He finally found one and applied some of it on Sora's wound. It hurt a bit as Loki dabbed a piece of cotton with the antiseptic on it on her wound.

**Sora's P.O.V.**

I honestly couldn't believe that he was doing all this. He's been nice to me ever since day 1. First, he's given me a home. Second, he took a lot of care of me when I got injured. Third, made me food. Fourth, made me feel happy. And fifth, especially the fifth, he made me feel special. Why do I feel like that? I don't like him at all…or do I?..I don't know. I'm obviously confused right now..But..does he like me? With the nice way he's always showing me, it seems like he does…or maybe I'm just dreaming..How could a prince like someone like me?..

As I was still lost in my cloud of thoughts, Loki suddenly called my name.

"Sora, are you okay? You seem lost there," he said staring into my eyes. I couldn't help skipping a beat there. His eyes staring deeply into mine were…awfully awkward…or awfully pleasant.

"I'm okay," I said getting rid of my cloud of thoughts. "My wound just hurts a bit."

"You better get some rest," Loki said. I lied down on the bed but kept my elbow away from any surface.

"Would you like to eat something?" Loki asked. I shook my head. I wasn't hungry at all.

"Okay…bye then," he said as he returned the antiseptic to its place. He was preparing to leave when he leaned over and kissed me on my cheek. His lips brushed against my cheek. I fought the urge to kiss him back. Finally, we parted and then he left. Just before he closed the door, he mouthed words I couldn't quite make up.

Was it 'I love you'? Well, it certainly looked like it…Maybe…just maybe…I do like him…

_**Author's Note**_

Well, that marks the end of Chapter 10 Doctor. I believe you know why I called the chapter "Doctor." I'm sorry for not updating for a while. Graduation is coming up and we're all really busy. Thank you for reading it and for your continued support and forgiveness. In the next chapter, I'll put previews of the following chapters at the very last part so look out for them! ARIGATOU GONZIMASU FOR READING MY STORY! XOXO

-the author that updates too long, rock-glamour-animeroxx211


	11. Chapter 11 Kiss of Betrayal

Chapter 11 Kiss of Betrayal

No matter how much I try to erase my memories with him…I just couldn't…

I flipped over and over on my bed mindlessly. I realized that I just couldn't forget him. He's been a part of my life and without him…I would be nothing. But what would I do? I don't want him to just keep on hoping that I'll come back to him. That kind of feeling hurts. For you to keep your hopes up and then find out that you're doing it for nothing. It _sucks_.

I just wanna be alone right now. Well, I am alone but those noises from the next room make me feel like going crazy! I put my ear to the wall and listened to the conversation of a drunken man and his wife. 'Why do you have to go home drunk all the time?' I heard the woman say. The man replied, 'Why do you always have to keep on complaining?' I took my ear off the wall. I hope that when I grow up, I won't be like them if I ever have a husband. I just wanna think! I just wanna go to some place that's nice and quiet…some place that I could think without any noise and distractions…Of course! The old mansion! The place where Gray taught me how to play…Ugh! I don't wanna go there! That place reminds me of him…but that's the only place I know that's nice and quiet…might as well go there.

I stood up and got my sling bag and ran out of my apartment. I ran across the street and made my way to the old mansion. I was away from the busy streets and into the deserted ones. The leaves rustled beneath my feet as I ran over them. The cool wind pushed my hair back covering my face. I kept on running as I tried to take all the hair of my face. When I finally did, I realized that I was already there. The old mansion was there right in font of me. It looked so creepy with its old structure but still looks quite beautiful.

I took one huge step for the front porch. For a moment, I hesitated. I remembered that I would be remembering Gray there but I just needed to think right now. I pushed all my negative thoughts aside as I went in the old mansion. The place was really dusty as usual. I dusted it off and took a seat on the sofa. _Wow…the sofa is still in tact._ I put my elbows on my knees and rested my face on my hands. I just wanted to think. Think about all the painful and memories I had. Think about the hardships I had to endure for my friends and family. Think about all the lies I've made. Think about everything…

*******Flashback***

My foster father was there in his lab. He was working on his latest experiment. His latest experiment was replacing damaged body parts. His dad was a logger. He cut trees in the forest most of the time. When he was little, his drunkard of a dad accidentally chopped his arm off thinking it was a tree. _How stupid. _Ever since, my foster dad longed to have a new whole arm again. That was why he was so busy working on his latest experiment. But this experiment of his was very different form his other experiments. This one was very risky. One wrong calculation could mean a very strange transformation or worse, death.

I carefully placed a cup of coffee on his study table. I was very careful when going around his lab because I might trip on something and accidentally send his experiments flying. Actually, this was my first time in his lab. He never lets me in. He only sent me because he needed a cup of coffee because he was getting sleepy.

My foster father was now mixing two strange liquids together. He carefully tilted a beaker filled with dark blue liquid into the beaker with green liquid. He used his right hand to hold the beaker with the dark blue liquid while he used a mechanical arm to hold the other. As he was still busy pouring the liquids over, I stared at his calculations. Then I noticed something strange. The color of the liquid he was supposed to pour into the green liquid wasn't supposed to be dark blue. It was supposed to be an even darker shade of blue. Something near to black. The color was clearly indicated in his calculations. I guess he was confused between the two colors because they look so the same. I had to warn him immediately. It could mean his death or if he was lucky, a transformation.

"Dad," I called. But he didn't hear me. I tried calling him again but he still didn't hear me or he was doing it on purpose.

"Dad!" I shouted.

"What, daughter? I am still very busy right now. This is your father's biggest experiment and he can't go wrong with this one," he said without taking his eyes off the two beakers.

"But dad," I said, "the liquid you're pouring to the next one isn't correct."

"Nonsense, daughter," he said. "I have gone through my calculations again and again and I can assure you that this is very correct."

Before he finished his sentence, he was already done pouring the liquids over. "Now," he said, "time to grow a new arm." He put the beaker close to his mouth. He held his breath and drank the liquid.

"No!" I shouted as I ran towards him. I tried to knock the beaker off his hand but he kept it out of my reach.

Soon, he finished drinking it. "After an hour, I'll be having a new grown arm," he said, "but it tastes quite bitter. I've calculated the results and it's supposed to taste a little sour."

"I told you, Dad! That's not the right one!"

"Be quiet, Akane! Who's the expert here?"

I put my head down and kept quiet. We were just standing there for a few minutes waiting for his "new arm." Then suddenly, my dad screamed with pain. "Dad!" I shouted as I ran towards him. But he kept shoving me away. "Get away from me, Akane!" he said as he pushed me roughly. "Run…" That word echoed in my head. But I didn't want to leave so I just kept some distance between us. Soon, my dad was screaming like crazy. He swept all the beakers and test tubes and all the other materials off the table. Glass shattered to the floor. Liquids spilled. Suddenly, all the screaming and violent actions stopped. My dad was quiet now. I took a long look at his face to see any change but I didn't move from where I was.

He still looked the same but there was something a little evil. Then, he grinned an evil grin. I knew something was up. I took a step back and ran for the door. I managed to get outside but I don't know where to run. My dad cooped me in his house for a long time and he never let me out. Soon, he caught up with me. He pulled me by my hair as I tried to kick him.

I kept on screaming but no one lived close to us so nobody heard. He held me close to his face and smiled a huge evil smile just like the one he gave me in the lab.

"You're going to do as I say, you understand?" he asked with a raised voice.

I nodded as I tried to get his fingers off my hair. Then, he let go of me. I fell to the floor with a loud thud. I felt like crying but I didn't want to do it in front of him. Soon, he left for the lab. I was all alone now. I wanted to run away but I knew he would kill me so I stayed.

A few days passed and I found out what really happened to my dad. He was very lucky. His body suffered tremendous pain but he didn't die. Instead, he just transformed. He transformed to an evil man driven by the desire to kill all wizards and mages that exist in this world. I don't know why he wanted to do such a thing. But I do know that he hated wizards and mages ever since. I also don't know the reason as to why he hates them.

One day, he called me from his study. I ran as fast as I could to his study. He has been treating me the same way even before he drank that wrong formula. He didn't abuse me or anything. All he did was boss me around and orders me to buy some stuff needed for his lab. I arrived in his study. I held my breath as I opened the door.

"Yes, Father?" I asked with a polite tone. My father was facing the window with his back to me. I could see the smoke coming from his cigarette. Then, I noticed my palms were sweaty. They were always like that whenever I'm around my father. It's because I'm scared of whatever he shall order me to do next and what he'll do to me.

"I have a very important task for you to do," he said. "It is my legacy to you and you must accomplish it whatever the circumstances."

I gulped and wiped sweat off my forehead. "What is it, Father?"

"You must kill every wizard and mage that exists in this world."

Immediately, my body tensed. I could practically hear my heart thumping very loudly. _Kill…Kill…_ the word echoed in my head.

"B-but why, Father? They've never done anything wrong to you!"

"Never done anything wrong to me?! Do you really think so, my daughter?" he said with his voice a little raised. He was obviously a little mad. "They killed my sister!"

_Killed his sister…Why would they do such a thing?_ I refused to believe my father and so I protested. "They would never do such a thing!"

He turned his chair around and faced me. "Do you really believe that wizards and mages are all good? Well, they are not. My sister was a mage, too. In fact, all of my siblings inherited some magical powers from my parents but not me. My sister was a well-respected mage with skills that were amazing. But other mages in her guild were jealous of her and so they killed her."

I couldn't believe what I've just heard. I didn't want to believe it yet my father's tone and emotions clearly proved his statement true. I couldn't speak and so I kept quiet.

"And that is why I need you to avenge her. I am much too weak to kill them for I have no such magical powers but I know you have the capability to do so…" he said, "…for I know you are a mage, too."

My eyes widened and my palms were sweating more. "How did you know?"

"I am your father, Akane. And eventhough you are not my real daughter I know how you move and what you're abilities are."

I gulped. "But I-I won't do it!"

"And why not?"

"Be-because I don't want innocent people to die!"

"But they are not innocent people, my daughter. They killed my sister. Remember that."

"But not all of them are bad! I know some who aren't!"

"Oh? Like your friend Natsu? He left you to rot in the forest where I found you!" he said. "You owe me a lot, Akane. Because if I haven't seen you in that forest and brought you up as my daughter, you have most probably died."

I put my head down. Everything my father said is true. I owe him a lot. And my friend did left me…

"So do you accept?"

"I…I…don't…"

"I know you don't want them to die but you must avenge my sister for me. And if you don't…I'll kill you're so-called friend that you cherish so much," he said with a smirk.

"You know where he is?"

"Of course I do. This world is small and it's easy to find a fire-breather like him."

I hesitated. I knew that either way someone would die. I'll say yes but I'll make sure that no one dies. "Ok, Father. I accept."

My father smirked. "Good, daughter. I'm proud of you."

I manage to smile but deep inside I felt a very grave feeling that I can't quite understand. Then, he handed me a list.

"This is a list of all the guilds in Magnolia. Kill every mage and wizard in it. Do you understand?"

I nodded. "But what if 'I' get killed?"

He didn't reply. His face was completely expressionless. It was like he didn't care if I die. Of course he didn't. He's a mad man with no emotions.

"You'll start with this guild. This guild is very famous and has very skilled mages and wizards," he said as he pointed at the top of the list. His finger was set on "No. 1: Fairy Tail." And so I set out for Fairy Tail…

***End of Flashback***

Suddenly, I sensed someone walking towards the old mansion. My whole body tensed. I quickly ran into one of the rooms and shut the door. Good thing the floor didn't creak. Then, I sensed that someone opened the front door. I immediately scanned the room. To my surprise, I was in the music room. I honestly didn't want to be in there because memories of Gray still lurk in this room's shadows but I had no choice. I quickly walked towards the drum set. I crouched and hid behind it. Suddenly, the music room's door creaked open. I tried to find out who it was. It was…Gray. It had to be him. I sensed him take a seat in front of the piano and played a sweet yet sad melody. I closed my eyes and listened carefully to the tune he was playing. It was beautiful. I also sensed that he was really sad. Maybe because of what I did to him earlier. I leaned to the drum set so I can hear better but then the drum set got pushed away because of my weight. And so my cover was blown. I saw Gray staring at me then to the drum set and back to me again. He was totally confused.

"Akane?" he asked. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"Uhmm…" I tried to look for the right words. "I sorta' went here so I can have some alone time and try to think but then you suddenly arrived." I was so embarrassed. My cheeks were flushed red. I looked at him but kept my gaze away from his eyes.

"Oh…I came here for the same reason too but I didn't know you were here also," he said keeping his eyes fixed on the piano. I tried to reply but I didn't know what to say. And I guess he was feeling the same. We were both really quiet. I thought about something to talk about. Something that doesn't remind the both of us about the emotional scar we left at each other. Then, I remember the melody he played a while ago.

"That was a really nice melody you played back there," I said.

"Yeah, thanks. I play a melody that matches with what I feel. It makes me feel better." He turned to me and smiled. And for the first time I stared into his eyes. His eyes were filled with sadness despite his charming smile.

I wanted to talk to him about what happened earlier. I wanted to tell him that I'm really sorry. I just wanted to talk because if playing the piano is what makes him feel better, talking is mine.

"Gray…about what happened earlier…"

"What about what happened earlier?"

I wanted to tell him I'm sorry. I gulped and began to talk. "Uhmm…thanks for the necklace you gave me." Okay, so I chickened out.

"You're welcome."

Then, we kept quiet again. I wanted to do something that would cheer us up first before I talk. So I stood up and sat beside him.

"Teach me more about playing the piano, Gray-sama!" I said and made the best pleading face I could ever make. He was taken aback but said yes nevertheless. He taught me how to play that melody he played earlier. I usually got it wrong because it's been such a long time since I haven't played a piano and I wasn't really an expert. So Gray held my hands and guided me along. It would have been a really sweet moment…if we were a couple that is.

"You've finally got the hang of it, Akane!" Gray exclaimed smiling.

"You really think so?" I asked as I stared at him with my cute face.

"Yeah," he said as he blushed and turned away.

"Uhmm…Gray?" I asked.

He turned to face me. "Yeah, Akane?"

"Uhmm…I just want you to know that I'm…"

"You're really sorry about what happened earlier?"

"Yeah…how did you know that that's what I was going to say?"

"I don't know…I just know I guess…" he said as he fixed his gaze on the floor. "But you know what, Akane? It's alright…"

"Really? So…you forgive me?"

He nodded. I immediately felt glad.

"Thank you, Gray," I said.

"Thank you too, Akane," he said.

"For what?"

"For everything."

I didn't reply. I honestly don't know what to say. Then, he suddenly put his hand at the back of my head and pulled me in for a kiss. I honestly couldn't escape that. I didn't even know that he was going to do that.

Our lips touched. I closed my eyes and kissed him back. _I kissed back._ The kiss lasted a bit long. It was so sweet and tasty. I had to admit that Gray is a good kisser. But I knew this was wrong—kissing someone eventhough you've already got a boyfriend. So I broke it off.

"Why did you do that, Gray?!" I asked wiping my mouth.

"But I love you, Akane!" he said. "And I'm not going to let you go that easily…"

"But me and Natsu are sorta' in a relationship now…" I said staring at the floor. "It's not right for you to be kissing someone who's already got a boyfriend."

"What?! You and that pink-haired idiot are together?"

"Yeah…"

"I can't believe you'd be in a relationship with someone like him…"

"Yeah, but still, it's soooo not right for you to do that…"

"Yeah, but you liked it!"

"No, I did not!"

"But you kissed me back!"

My body stiffened. I can say that I didn't like it but I really could not deny the fact that I kissed back. _Why did I kiss back?!_

"Admit it, Akane. You still like me despite your relationship with Natsu."

"Alright, I still like you! You happy now?"

Then, I sensed someone leaving the mansion. It seems like he or she was watching us kiss and listening to our conversation then left.

I immediately ran outside. Luckily, Gray didn't stop me. Well, whoever that was wasn't there anymore now. I scanned the place and tried to find out whoever was spying on us. _When I find out who's been spying on us I'll…Oh my god…It's Natsu._

Natsu has been spying on us. _Natsu saw us kiss._ _What have I done? _I tried to locate him. Luckily, he isn't quite far yet. I ran as fast as I could to where he was. Soon, I caught up with him. He looked really…_hurt. This is all my fault._ _I haven't even found Sora yet and another problem piles up? Oh geez…_

"Natsu!" I called as I approached him.

"Get away!" he shouted.

"Natsu, come on!" I said as I put my hand on his shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" he said as he pushed my hand away roughly.

"Oww!" I said as I pulled my hand back and massaged it.

"Sorry…" he said as he stared at the ground.

"Natsu, can we please talk?" I asked him politely.

"Okay, we'll talk. Let's talk about how you and Gray kissed, how you said you still like him, and how you betrayed me," he said then walked away.

"I didn't kiss him on purpose!" I said as I tried to catch up with him again.

"Yeah, you didn't. He did. But you kissed back!"

I immediately kept quiet. I didn't know what else to say. He saw what I did eventhough I don't know why I did it.

Then, he abruptly turned and faced me. "Why did you suddenly keep quiet? Wasn't everything I said true?"

"Alright, it's true! I kissed him back, I still like him, but I didn't betray you! That's why I broke the kiss off…"

"Yeah, you broke it off after you two made out…"

"But I love you more, Natsu! And that's why I try to forget him but I just couldn't and it just happened that he was in the mansion too."

"You know what, Akane? I really want to believe you right now but it still hurts. Just leave me alone."

"Alright, fine! I'll leave…and I'll never come back!" I shouted. Then, I ran away. I ran away and didn't look back. I ran until I reached the lake that leads to the forest. I leaned on a tree and cried. _It hurts that Natsu doesn't believe me…but I know I made a mistake too…Maybe I'll just have to leave until the emotional scars in my heart and on Natsu's and Gray's heal._

I sighed and cried. Suddenly, a mysterious voice came out of nowhere.

"Akane…"

"Who…who's there?" I asked looking around.

"Akane…" the voice said again. "…I like what you're doing—gaining the trust of Fairy Tail and its members then betraying them in the end…but what you did just then looked like you weren't pretending."

"Father…Of course, it's all part of my plan."

"Yes, and I approve of it. As you know, I give you the freedom to do as you wish but do this little plan of mine to make it a little more…intriguing."

"What is it, Father?"

"Make sure that the news of your death spreads."

"The news of my death?"

"Yes…make sure that some people think that you're dead…then the news of your death will eventually reached Fairy Tail…Then, leave for a few years so that they would think that you're really dead then come back—just in time to finish them all off."

"But…where would I go to?"

"That is up to you, my daughter…and remember that if you do not do as I wish, I will not only kill your beloved Natsu, I would also kill all your friends that seem so dear to you…"

Then, the mysterious voice vanishes and Akane is alone again. _Natsu…I'm so sorry…_

***Author's Note***

Well, I've decided not to put the previews of the next chapter here. (Gomenasai?)It's because I wanted the next chapters to have a little…suspense. (^_^) Sorry if this chapter is a bit short just like the other ones. (Some chapters are really meant to be short.)Oh well, I hope you all liked this chapter. This chapter is so full of…drama. It usually goes around the love story of the pairings in this story and how the hardships in their relationship make them stronger or weaker. The next few chapters will finally reveal the decisions that Akane and the other characters make…and if they are the right ones… Thank you for continuing to support me and to those who made me their favourite author and those who followed me! And also, please review of what you think of this chapter! Arigatou again!

-rock-glamour-animeroxx211(the author who writes insanely cool stories/chapters..LOL!)


	12. Chapter 12 Reunion

Chapter 12 Reunion

It was a day just like any day else at the Fairy Tail guild. Nothing of the unusual happened, except that Akane wasn't there and Natsu and Gray seemed to be ignoring each other.

"Hey, Lucy, it seems like Natsu and Gray are ignoring each other," Erza whispered to Lucy. It wasn't just Erza who noticed it, everyone in the guild did. They thought that it was awkward of the two to be ignoring each other and not having their famous fights.

"Yeah, I've noticed it too," Lucy said. "It looks like they're both mad at each other."

"You're right. They've been snatching angry glances at each other ever since both of them arrived in the guild," said Mizuki, the younger sibling of the Fujiwara sisters.

Levy nodded. "Something is surely up between those two."

"Okay, let's ask them why they both seem so mad at each other," said Erza as she stood up from her seat.

She wore her most frightening look and called Natsu and Gray. "Dragneel! Fullbuster!"

Both heads turned around her. They both gulped upon seeing her scary look.

"WHY DOES IT SEEM LIKE YOU TWO ARE MAD AT EACH OTHER?!" Erza shouted as loud as she could.

"Erza, I think you're going a little bit too harsh," said Akira, the older sibling of the Fujiwara sisters, as she toyed around with her dark brown hair.

"SHUT UP, FUJIWARA NUMBER ONE!" Erza shouted. They usually have the tendency to call Akira "Fujiwara Number One" while they would call Mizuki "Fujiwara Number Two," especially when they would tease them. Akira just stuck her tongue out at Erza.

Natsu and Gray gulped again at Erza's loud voice. They were both shaking and feeling really scared. They turned to look at each other from the opposite tables. When they caught sight of each other's faces, they quickly turned away, leaving an angry look at each other. But they both kept silent at Erza's question.

Just as Erza was about to lose her patience and shout again, Mirajane comes rushing into the guild from her grocery shopping. She had an extremely worried look on her face as she entered the guild.

"Hey guys…Something bad happened," Mira said as she placed her groceries on a table. She faced the floor with a sad look

"What is it, Mira?" asked Erza.

"I've got some terrible news," Mira said. "It's about Akane." Then, Mira started crying.

"What is it, Mira?" asked Natsu completely concerned eventhough he and she had just fought.

"Akane…Akane…" Mira stammered through her sobbing voice.

"What happened to Akane, Mira?" Gray asked.

"Akane…" Mira said, "…died."

Everybody in the guild was shocked. Lucy gasped. Mira cried more. Gray's eyes widened with disbelief. And Natsu fell to the floor on his knees.

"How did you find out?" Erza asked who couldn't believe the news herself.

"I heard two women talking a while ago while we were waiting in line," Mira said. "They said that a girl's body was found in the forest by four kids who were playing there. They said that there was nothing wrong about the girl, except that her pulse was lashed out. They immediately ran and told their parents."

"That could never happen! Akane is strong. She would have sensed someone who was trying to kill her from anywhere," Wendy said who treated Akane like her sister.

"Yes, you're right, Wendy," Erza said. "But there are times she could not sense things around her very well, maybe because of being physically or emotionally weak."

Then, it struck Natsu that maybe the reason why Akane got killed was because she was too emotionally weak and could not defend herself. And the reason for her being emotionally weak is because of the fight that took place between them.

"Well, how did they know that it was Akane's body?" asked Lucy who also broke into tears.

"One of the kids knew her well because most of the time she saw Akane walking around in the city doing missions. And they also saw her insignia," Mira said.

"And where is her body now?" asked Elfman.

"I don't know. They said that nobody came to pick it up."

"Who could do something so terrible?" said Cana.

"Maybe she did that to herself," said Gajeel.

"Idiot! She would never do that! She would never do such a thing that could cause grief to her friends," said Gray.

Then, everyone became quiet. Others cried quietly while some ran to tell the Master about it. When the master found out, he also almost broke into tears. They all felt a huge loss over her death. Everyone in the guild was like a family. And if one of the guild members dies, it feels as if a very close brother or sister died.

Inside, Natsu felt completely guilty. He regretted that she and he fought and that their last exchange was so nasty. And the idea of her dying because of their fight was tormenting him. Feeling guilty, angry, sad, lonely, and alone, Natsu quickly ran out of the guild.

"Natsu!" Lucy said as she tried to run after him.

"Let him be, Lucy," Erza said. "After all, she was very dear to him."

Natsu ran off to the forest where he tried to find Akane's body. Then he picked up a very familiar scent. The scent of…_blood._ He immediately followed that scent. He ran as fast as he could to where the scent took him.

Then, Akane's lifeless body lay before him. Natsu fell to the ground beside Akane. He held her cold hand and examined her pulse. Mira was right. Her pulse _was _lashed out. Natsu gripped her hand and cried. He gripped her hand as tight as he could, trying to make her cold hand warm again. "Akane…" He said as his tears fell upon her hand. "I'm sorry we had to fight. And I deeply regret it. I wasn't really mad at you. It was my entire fault. I let my feelings get the best of me. I still love you, Akane. I love you with all my heart. I wish we'd spent more time together…No, I wish we spent time together forever. But that will never happen now, won't it? And I wish that I could've held your hand one more time."

He held Akane's body close to his. "We didn't even get to have our first kiss, right?" Natsu said and smiled. "Right, Akane?" He said and hugged her tight. Her body was cold as ice. But despite that, Natsu made her freezing body warm a bit. He continued to hug her and cry for her.

Actually, that wasn't the real Akane. It was just actually an almost real human dummy that Akane created using her powers. She made it seem that she was truly dead by making it look like her pulse was lashed and her body was cold as ice. She placed the dummy there because she knew that some kids usually play there every day. And she knew that they'd immediately tell their parents and because of their parents' gossipy tongue, the news of her death would soon spread. But of course, nobody came to pick the fake corpse up.

The real Akane was actually hiding behind the trees, very close to Natsu. She forced herself not to go to him and hug him and tell him that she was still alive. She just stayed at her hiding spot and cried really hard. She felt really bad that she betrayed them and even made them believe that she was dead. But what hurt the most is that Natsu thought that the reason she died is because of him. Just thinking about that made her cry even more. "Natsu…" she said to herself. "I'm sorry I had to do this to everyone…But it's for everyone's safety so I must do it…I love you, Natsu." Then, she ran deeper into the forest. She ran because Natsu heard her crying and he became very suspicious and started looking everywhere. She stopped in front of a huge tree with a swing and sat there.

Then, she began thinking about Fairy Tail. About the missions she did, about her friends and all the fun, and about Natsu. Thinking about them made her cry again. She wiped her tears away and looked down. She noticed that she still wore the necklace Gray gave her, the one with the blue pendant. She immediately felt sad again but she suppressed the urge to cry again. Instead, she looked around her. She noticed that there was a wishing well. She stood up and approached it. She peered inside and found that it was full of vines with thorns. She wanted to see if it had any coins at the bottom but it was too dark to see any farther down. She reached into her waist pocket for a coin. She found only one. It was the one that Natsu gave her as a remembrance when they were still kids. She still remembered all that Natsu said to her…

***Flashback***

"Hey, Kane-chan! Look what I've found!" Natsu said excitedly as he rushed to Akane. Akane stopped from her digging. They were currently having a treasure hunt. They would collect everything they found and keep it in their secret hiding place. And whoever had the most things would get to boss the other one around for the whole week.

"What is that, Natsu?" Akane asked.

Natsu held it in front of her face to show it off. "It's a really old coin! It's covered with dirt and even if you rub them off, there's nothing much left to see 'cause the markings are all rubbed away by time. Apparently, it's not from here…"

"So what? It's not like we could use that to buy some food at the market," Akane said irritatingly.

Natsu got really mad at her for her ignorance. "You shut up, Akane! It's not like you've found anything valuable!"

Akane looked embarrassed because she really didn't find anything yet. "I'll find something sooner or later! And just you wait, I'll win this treasure hunt and boss you around for a whole week!" She said and began digging again.

"Whatever…" Natsu said and stuck his tongue out. But he kind of pitied Akane because she looked really tired because of looking for treasure for hours but still hadn't found anything yet.

"Here," Natsu said and held the coin in front of her face again. She stopped digging and stared at him.

"This is my remembrance to you," Natsu said, blushing.

"Really? For me?" asked Akane.

"Yeah…That way, if we'll ever get separated, you'll never forget me," Natsu said as he placed it on her palm.

Akane stared at Natsu's little remembrance. "Thank you so much, Natsu!" Akane said and grinned at him.

Natsu blushed again. "Y-you're welcome…" Natsu said. "If you always have it with you, it's like I'm always there with you. So always remember to bring that everywhere you go, alright, Kane-chan?"

"Ok, Natsu!" She said and smiled. "Now I won the treasure hunt!"

"Huh?" asked Natsu, confused.

"You said we'll have a treasure hunt for only an hour and it's an hour already. And since you gave me your item, I win! And I get to boss you around for the whole week!" Akane said and stuck her tongue out.

"Oh, I never thought of that…Give me back that coin!" Natsu said and chased Akane.

"No way!" Akane said as she ran. "But I really do appreciate it, Natsu! I'll always remember you! I'll always remember how I won our treasure hunt thanks to you!" Akane said as she laughed at Natsu who kept chasing her.

***End of Flashback***

Akane laughed at that short memory of how she gained the coin from Natsu. Then, she smiled about Natsu giving it to her as a remembrance. "I'll never forget you, Natsu…Thank you for all the memories," She said as she tossed the coin into the well and closed her eyes and made a wish.

After saying her wish in her head, she opened her eyes again and sat back at the swing. She began thinking of Fairy Tail again and what she was planning to do after all this. Soon enough, she fell asleep.

When she woke up much to her surprise, she was lying down on a really soft bed and was hugging a pillow tightly. She looked around and saw that she was in a nicely painted room. It was quite huge and it was unlike any room she's ever been. It was fitted for someone of royalty. To her left, there was a huge window that led to a balcony. She stood up and opened the windows and stepped outside. The cool night breeze greeted her as she gazed around the view from the balcony. She was facing a lake and she could hear some frogs croaking. She thought she was in her apartment and that Natsu was with her but she remembered that her room wasn't that big as the room she was in and that it didn't have a balcony, nor did it face a lake. She then remembered all that happened a while ago. She sat down on the floor and realized that eventhough she hasn't seen Natsu and her friends for a few hours, she already misses them, especially since they will never see each other again. Then, Akane began crying.

In the middle of her sobbing, the door opened but Akane didn't notice it. Then, a hand tapped her shoulder. She stopped crying and wiped her tears then looked up at person who tapped her. It was a guy and he was smiling. At first, she thought it was Natsu but it was not. It was a really cute guy with orange hair. Correction: It was a really handsome guy with orange hair and eyes. He looked really attractive.

He held his hand out to her and she reached out and stood up. Akane was still scanning his face, trying to find out if they had met before or even seen him before. But it turns out that she had not.

"Greetings, fair maiden. I am Prince Loki and I've brought you here in my castle. May I know the name of this fair maiden standing before me? But I think it is not really necessary that I know you're name since I already know it…Akane," He spoke with such politeness a prince should have.

Akane bowed low first and spoke. "Y-you know my name, Prince Loki?" Akane asked, stammering a few times because of too much shock because of standing in front of a prince.

"Yes, and you will be shocked when you find out how," He said and smiled. "And please, call me Loki. Loki is just fine. And you need not bow."

"O-okay, Loki," Akane said. "Anyway, I'm curious on how you found me and why you brought me here in your castle and why you know my name…Pardon me if I want to know a lot, Loki."

"That's alright. But shall we go inside first, Akane? It gets really cold out here during the nighttime," said Loki as she gestured for Akane to go inside.

"Okay," she said and they both went inside and sat on two chairs with a table in between them.

"Okay, so let me answer your questions. Well, I found you asleep on my swing and decided to bring you here. And for a very good reason."

"Oh, sorry I fell asleep there. I didn't know that it was yours. And may I know why you brought me here?"

"Well, an acquaintance of mine knows you very well. In fact, she tells me a lot about you that eventhough I haven't seen you before, I can tell exactly that you're Akane."

"She? So your acquaintance is a girl?"

"Yes, and you will be thrilled once you find out who it is." Then, Loki led her out of the room. They went through a lot of rooms before they reached their destination, which gave Akane the opportunity to look around the castle. She was still marveling at everything that she didn't notice that Loki had already opened the door to another room where there were two girls watching television.

"Everyone, we have a guest tonight," Loki said.

"Really? Who is it, elder brother?"

He backed away, revealing the still marveling Akane. She abruptly stopped staring at everything and faced two girls who were staring at her too. One had orange hair that looked really similar to Loki and another had shoulder length blonde hair. She looked oddly familiar…

Suddenly, the blonde-haired girl ran towards Akane and hugged her really tight. Then, she started crying.

"Akane…Akane…Is it really you?" asked the crying blonde.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Akane asked.

The girl stopped crying and stared at Akane. "I'm Sora!" The girl exclaimed happily.

"Whoa…Sora? It's you?" asked Akane, stunned.

"Yeah, it's me! Don't you recognize your best friend?"

"No, it's not like that. It's just that I didn't recognize you with the new look."

"Yeah, I cut my hair. I decided to get a new look. Refreshing, don't you think?"

Akane laughed. "How did you get here?" asked Sora.

Before Akane could answer, Loki interrupted. "Uhmm, excuse me, ladies, but I think me and my sister will leave you two alone for now."

"Ok," Akane and Sora said in unison. Then, they both laughed. Loki and Madeline shut the door and Akane and Sora began to talk.

"Well, how did you get here?" Sora asked excitedly.

"Actually, I don't really know but Loki told me that he found me asleep on his swing and recognized me so he brought me here," Akane said. "He said you talk a lot about me."

Sora smiled. "Well, duh! You're my best friend."

They both smiled. "Well, as much as I'm really happy to see you again, one question is really intriguing me," said Akane.

"What is it?" asked Sora.

"Why did you suddenly disappear?" asked Akane.

"Oh about that…" Sora's voice trailed off and she looked sad.

"What's the matter, Sora?" asked Akane.

"Oh, it's nothing. Never mind about that," Sora said, trying to look alright.

"Come on, stop pretending. I'm your best friend. Tell me what's the matter," said Akane.

"Well, it's nothing really.…It's just that I didn't disappear, I ran away. I ran away 'cause I might do something to harm you…"

"Harm me? Why?"

"Well, I like Gray but then…"

Akane didn't let Sora finish. She interrupted her before she could.

"Wait, I already know the reason," said Akane.

"You do?"

"Yeah, Gray told me everything," Akane replied.

"Oh…"

"But really, Sora, there is nothing between me and Gray," Akane said. "I admit we both had feelings for each other and we both still do up to now but I'm trying to forget about him anyway. Besides, I have Natsu. So please don't be jealous about us."

"I'm not jealous of you guys. Well, at first I was kinda' hurt but then those feeling began to go away when I met Loki."

"Oh…so you two are together now?" teased Akane.

"No, we're not!" denied Sora. Her face was flushed red but she was telling the truth.

"But you like him do you? Besides, he's really attractive," Akane teased again.

Sora blushed harder. "Well…I kinda' like him."

Akane laughed and teased her. Then, Sora told Akane about how Loki took care of her. When she was finally finished talking, Akane was speechless.

"Sora, he really, really likes you! I mean, it's really obvious," said Akane.

Sora blushed again. "Well, what's going on at Fairy Tail?"

Then, Akane's happy mood faded. Then, she started crying.

"Hey, Akane, are you okay? What's wrong?" Sora tried her best to comfort her. When, she finally calmed down a bit, she told Sora about what happened between her, Natsu, and Gray and also what her father wanted her to do.

After hearing her story, she felt heartbroken for her best friend. She was in a really hard situation and it seemed like there was no escape. Akane kept on crying while Sora kept on comforting her.

"Don't worry. We're all in this together. We'll work it out. I promise," Sora said.

"Really? Promise?" asked Akane.

Sora nodded and did a pinky swear with Akane. Akane hugged her best friend and said in her head, _"I really hope we'll work it out."_


End file.
